HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA, BY VIRGIL A. LEWIS, A.M. This file was scanned, OCRed, edited, and submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA BY VIRGIL A. LEWIS, A.M., STATE HISTORIAN AND ARCHIVIST Ex-State Superintendent of Free Schools; Member of the American Historical Association; Member of the American Political Science Association; Member of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association; Member of the Ohio Valley Historical Asso- ciation; Author of a general History of West Virginia etc., etc. NEW CENTURY EDITION NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY Copyright, 1896, 1904, and 1912, by VIRGIL A. LEWIS. Revised to 1916 INTRODUCTION. page(s) 3-4 The idea of preparing a history of West Virginia as a text-book for use in the public and private schools of the State was not born of a sudden impulse. For more than a quarter of a century the author was engaged in public school work, and nearly all that time in active classwork in the schoolroom. While so engaged he became strongly impressed with the fact that any course of instruction is seriously defective if it does not include a study that enables pupils to grow familiar with the history of their own State and people. History is also entitled to a place in the curriculum because it possesses high value as a character-builder, because its subject-matter is in itself deeply interesting, and because it readily leads into other subjects of the school course. This book has been prepared for the use of schools, and its aim is to place in the hands of the children of West Virginia a faithful, non-sectarian and non-partisan history of the State in which they will eventually have to discharge the duties of citizens or residents. As West Virginia is one of the many States composing the Great Republic, enough of national history has been interwoven to enable the pupil to perceive in what manner and to what extent the local laws, customs and institutions of the State have been affected by events occurring in the progress of the Nation. With the view of making pupils more familiar with the lives of such characters as have borne conspicuous parts in the history of the State, and that they may have before them high examples from their own localities, of what individuals of this and preceding generations have been able to achieve in the different walks of life, a consider- able number of short biographical sketches have been inserted as foot-notes or otherwise. The small size of the work does not permit these sketches to be as full as they should be; but it is hoped that when these have been read, the interest of the pupil will be sufficiently aroused to lead to the seeking for more complete information from other sources, regarding not only those herein mentioned, but the hundreds of others whose names are prominent in our annals. It has been the endeavor of the author to prepare a volume, however humble, of authentic and unimpeach- able history. If he has succeeded in his effort, he has at least contributed something to the cause of public edu- cation. And it is his hope that this contribution will enable the pupil to begin that preparation that will, in the future, make it possible for him to sketch for himself or others a picture showing in accurate outlines and features the noted men and events that go to make up the history of West Virginia. page 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART 1. CHAP. I.—A Geographical and Physical View.......... 7-13 CHAP. II.—The Mound Builders of West Virginia—Pre- historic Time...................................... 14-23 CHAP. III.—The Founding of European Colonies on the Atlantic Coast—From 1607 to 1669 .................. 24-34 CHAP. IV.—Exploration and First Permanent Settle- ment—From 1669 to 1735............................. 35-43 CHAP. V.—Important Events in the Early History of the State—From 1736 to 1754. ...................... 44-58 CHAP. VI.—The French and Indian War—From 1754 to 1763............................................... 59-73 CHAP. VII.—An Era of Peace—Pioneer Settlements— From 1763 to 1773.................................. 74-84 CHAP. VIII.—Lord Dunmore's War—The Battle of Point Pleasant—From 1773 to 1775. ....................... 85-94 CHAP. IX. West Virginia During the Revolutionary War—From 1775 to 1783.............................. 95-114 CHAP. X—West Virginia After the Revolution—From 1783 to 1795....................................... 115-130 CHAP. XI.—West Virginia at the Close of the Eighteenth Century-From 1795 to 1800.......................... 131-138 CHAP. XII.—The Lewis and dark Expedition—Burr- Blennerhassett Conspiracy—Steam Navigation on the Ohio River—From 1800 to 1811........................ 139-150 CHAP. XIII.—The War of 1812—Newspapers—From 1811 to 1825 ............................................ 151-160 CHAP. XIV.—Constitutional Changes and Other Events —From 1825 to 1842.................................. 161-167 CHAP. XV.—Jurisdiction Over the Ohio—Constitutional Convention—Insurrection at Harper's Ferry—From 1842 to 1860........................................ 168-178 CHAP. XVI.—Division of Virginia and Formation of West Virginia—From 1860 to 1861..................... 179-185 CHAP. XVII.—The New State—From 1861 to 1863......... 186-189 CHAP. XVIII.—West Virginia Under First Constitution —From 1863 to 1865.................................. 190-199 CHAP XIX.—The State Under the First Constitution (Continued)—From 1863 to 1865....................... 200-206 CHAP. XX.—The State Under the First Constitution (Continued}— From 1865 to 1870.............................. 207-216 CHAP. XXI.—The State Under the First Constitution (Concluded)— From 1870 to 1872.............................. 217-223 CHAP. XXII.—The State Under the Present Constitution —From 1872 to 1881............................................... 224-231 CHAP. XXIII.—The State Under the Present Constitu- tion (Continued)—From 1881 to 1889........................ 232-242 CHAP. XXIV.—The State Under the Present Constitu- tion (Continued}— From 1889 to 1893........................ 243-251 CHAP. XV.—The State Under the Present Constitution (Continued)—From 1893 to the Present Time........... 252-274 PART II. CHAP. I.—The Relation of the State to the Nation..... 275-278 CHAP. II.—The State Government........................... 279-282 The Constitution of the State............................ 283-346 534 Questions on the State Constitution. ................ 347-383 State, County and District Government of West Virginia... 384-398 Population of West Virginia by Counties.................. 399-402 Map of West Virginia..................................... 400-401 Act of Congress Admitting West Virginia into the Union... 403-405 State Officials.......................................... 406-410 THE COUNTIES OF WEST VIRGINIA............................ 411-416 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES TO THE PERMANENT SETTLEMENT OF WHITE MEN IN THE STATE. PART I. HISTORY OF WEST VIRGINIA. CHAPTER I. A GEOGRAPHICAL AND PHYSICAL VIEW. 1. Geographical Position of the State. West Virginia lies chiefly on the western slope of the Appa- lachian Mountain System, and is situated between 37° 6' and 40° 38' north latitude, and between 0° 40' and 5° 35' longitude west from Washington. It is territorially bounded on the north by Ohio, Pennsyl- vania and Maryland; on the east, by Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia; on the south, by Virginia and Kentucky, and on the west, by Kentucky and Ohio. 2. Description of Boundary Lines. West Vir- ginia is the most irregular in shape of all the States of the American Union. Why this is so, will appear as we progress in the study of its history. No legal description of its boundary lines has been prepared, but may be given thus: Beginning at a point on the summit of the Blue Ridge, one mile east of Harper's Ferry, where the Potomac breaks through that moun- tain barrier; thence with the said river to the mouth of the South Branch thereof; thence with the mean- derings of the North Branch to its source or first fountain, thence with the meridian passing through the said first fountain due north to the southern boundary of Pennsylvania; thence due west to the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, and thence due north to the low water mark on the west bank of the Ohio river; thence with the said low water mark along the Ohio, to the mouth of the Big Sandy river; thence with that river and Tug Fork thereof, to the mouth of Knox Creek; thence to the western extremity of the dividing ridge now separating Virginia and West Virginia, and thence with the lines separating the several adjoining counties of the two States to the place of beginning. To travel around the state by the boundary thus described, would require a journey of 1,170 miles. 3. Extent and Area of the State. The total area of the state is 24,715 square miles, of which 135 square miles are water surface. This area is almost twenty times that of Rhode Island; twelve times that of Delaware; five times that of Connecticut; three times that of Massachusetts, and more than twice that of Maryland. The longest straight line that can be drawn across the State is that between a point on the Blue Ridge, one mile east of Harper's Ferry, and Vir- ginia Point, at the mouth of Big Sandy river; it measures 274 3/4; miles. The longest line that can be drawn through the State from north to south, if extended from the northern limit of Hancock county to a point on Dividing Ridge, on the southern border of McDowell county, would measure 245 miles. 4. Physical Features of West Virginia. West Virginia is often called the "Little Mountain State." This is due to the presence of the western ridges of the Appalachian Mountain System, which extend parallel through the eastern part of the State. These mountains are grouped under the gen- eral term of Alleghanies, but are known by various local names in different parts of the State: as the Greenbrier, Peters', Big Clear, the Yew Pine, the Gauley, the Black, the Rich, the Cheat, the South Fork, the North Fork the Jersey, the North mountains and others. Amid the lofty elevations the scenery rivals in grandeur and beauty any to be found elsewhere on the conti- nent, or, perhaps, in the world. For this reason the State is frequently spoken of as the "Switzerland of America." 5. The Plateau Region of West Virginia. The mountain elevations around the sources of the Tug, Twelve Pole, Guyandotte and Cole rivers in the counties of Mingo, Logan, McDowell, Wyoming and Raleigh, are but a northern continuation of the Cumberland range of Tennessee and Kentucky, and they stand upon the Cumberland Plateau, which extends northward centrally through West Virginia, to the southern boundary of Pennsylvania. Upon this elevation lies all the hilly portion between the mountains and the. Ohio river. This is the most extensive region of the State; its general character is that of vast ranges of hills with ever recurring valleys and ever changing scenes. 6. Elevation Above Sea Level. The altitude of a country is a subject of much interest, for it not only determines in a great measure, the climatic conditions and products, but largely, the character of the inhabi- tants. The following elevations have been ascertained by the United States Geological Survey and may therefore be taken as accurate. At the mouth of Big Sandy river, the altitude is 510 feet above the Gulf of Mexico; at Wheeling, 645 feet; at the source of the Twelve Pole river, 997 feet; at Harper's Ferry, 279 feet above Chesapeake Bay; at the mouth of Tygart's Valley river, 875 feet; Loudoun Heights, Jefferson county, 1,000 feet; Little North Mountains, Berkeley county, 1,000 feet; Sleepy Creek Mountains, between Berkeley and Morgan counties, 1,500 feet; Mann Knob, Wayne county, 1,43 7 feet; Powell Knob, Gilmer county, 1,460 feet; Bragg Knob, Clay county, 1,674 feet; High Knob, Braxton county, 1,720 feet; Milam Ridge, Wyoming county, 2,500 feet; East River Mountain and Stoney Ridge, Mercer county, 2,500 feet; Mitchell Ridge, Raleigh county, 3,000 feet; Flat Top Mountain, between Raleigh and Mercer counties, 3,500 feet; Swope's Knob, Monroe county, 3,000 feet; Big Sewell mountains, Fayette county, 3,500 feet; South Branch mountain, Hardy county, 3,000 feet; Keeney's Knob, Summers county, 3,955 feet; Cold Knob, Greenbrier county, 4,318 feet; High Knob, Randolph county, 4,710 feet; Spruce Knob, Pocahontas county, 4,730 feet; Spruce Knob, Pendle- ton county, 4,860 feet. The latter is the greatest elevation yet determined in the State. 7. The Rivers of West Virginia. The whole of the State lies within the Mississippi basin, except the counties of Berkeley, Morgan, Jefferson, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Grant and Pendleton, which lie east of the mountains and belong to the Atlantic Slope drainage. All of the State west of the mountains, is drained into the Ohio by the Big Sandy, Twelve Pole, Guyandotte, Great Kanawha, Little Kanawha and Monongahela rivers, with smaller streams, all of which flow in a northwest direction. The Big Sandy river forms the boundary between West Virginia and Kentucky. The Great Kanawha has its source in western North Carolina, and its upper course above its junction with the Gauley river, is known as New River; its principal tributaries are the Greenbrier, the Gauley, the Elk, the Coal* and Pocatalico rivers. The principal tributary of the Little Kanawha is Hughes river which was once called Junius' river. The Monongahela, in its course, receives the waters of the Cheat and Tygart's Valley rivers. That portion of the state east of the mountains, is drained by the South Branch of the Potomac, the Opequon and Caca- pon rivers and several smaller streams. *The statement that this river was named for Samuel Cole and should be spelled C-o-l-e is a mistake. In 1742, John Peter Salley with John Howard, Josiah Howard and Charles St. Clair, left Augusta county, Virginia; crossed the mountains; descended New River to Richmond Falls; thence traveled westward to another river which they descended, and because "In those mountains we found great plenty of coals * * * we named it Coal River," and such it is today. From the mouth of the Great Kanawha they descended the Ohio which had been discovered by the French explorer Robert, Cavalier la Salle, in 1669. 8. Source of Six Rivers. From the lofty apex of the mountain region which connects the counties of Pocahontas, Randolph and Pendleton, flow six beau- tiful mountain rivers, five of which drain the principal part of the State. These are the South Branch of the Potomac, Cheat river, the Tygart's Valley river, the Elk river, the Greenbrier river and Jackson's river, the latter of which has its source beyond the State line and flows away to join the historic James river of Virginia. Each of the five rivers flowing through West Virginia has its first fountain on the highest elevation of the Alleghanies and two of them find their way to mingle their waters with those of Chesapeake Bay, whilst three of them by way of the Ohio and Mississippi, discharge their waters into the Gulf of Mexico. This mountain ele- vation may be called the "Birthplace of Rivers." 9. Where Our History has been Made. It was here in the valleys of the rivers of West Virginia, upon the hills and amid the mountain fastnesses, that the events which go to make up the history of our State, have taken place. And we are now to learn of them, that hereafter we may study the history of other States and of the Nation; but before we can successfully do that, we must know the history of our own State. It will be a task of rare interest to all who shall carefully study it and thus leam how the territory within the State has been changed from a howling wilderness inhabited by wild beasts and savage men, to a land of schools, churches and thou- sands of happy homes, the abode of a brave and intel- ligent people who dare to maintain the enduring State as a part of the great Nation. " No tyrant here can wield the accursed rod Where all breathe the atmosphere of God! This goodly land by Nature's stem decree Was preordained a land of liberty. " CHAPTER II. THE MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS OF WEST VIRGINIA. Prehistoric Time—Continued. 1. The First Inhabitants of West Virginia.— Before entering upon the study of the history of our State it is proper that we make inquiry regarding the people who dwelt here before the coming of white men. Who the first inhabitants were we do not know, for all the ages through which the New World passed, prior to its dis- covery by Columbus, are destitute of history and chronology. called Mound Build- ers, far superior to the Indians, once existed on this continent, there can be not the least doubt. From the Atlantic on the east, to the Pacific on the west, and from the Great Lakes on the north to the Gulf the ascent where they stood upon the summit—the first English speaking people on the top of this, one of the greatest mounds on the continent; from that day to this it has stood the wonder of all beholders, and such, if not destroyed by the hand of man, it will continue to be through centuries to come. The Mound was opened in 1838, a tunnel ten feet wide and seven feet high being made along the natural surface to the center (a distance of 111 feet) to a vault. Then a shaft was sunk from the apex to connect with the tunnel. Two large vaults were discovered which con- tained human skeletons, copper rings, bracelets, plates of mica, ivory beads and ornaments. Within two feet of one of the skele- tons was found the Inscribed Stone. *This stone was found in the Mammoth Mound in 1838. The inscription is in unknown characters, resembling those used by the Scandinavian priests before the introduction of the Roman alphabet. It has never been deciphered and nothing like it has ever been found in America. It has attracted more attention l6 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. on the south, we trace them by the mounds which are to be found in almost every county of West Virginia, and throughout the Mississippi Valley and by the ruined structures in the southwestern part of our coun- try. But, who were they? What their origin, and what their fate ? Alas, we shall never know! Contem- porary history furnishes no aid, for they were isolated from all the world beside. They have disappeared from the earth with not a line of recorded history left behind them. " Antiquity appears to have begun Long after their primeval race was run."—Campbell. 2. The Ancestors of the Indians.—Were the Mound Builders the ancestors of the Indians ? It is not prob- able that they were. At the time of the discovery of America, in 1492, many thousands of individuals, ex- isting in all the various conditions of society, from the lowest stage of barbarism, to that of a half civilized state, from scientists and antiquarians at home and abroad than any other relic found in the United States. The characters are now conceded to be of European origin, and, if this be true, then there is evidence that Europeans visited this continent before the com- ing of Columbus. But who were they? No reply can be made beyond the fact that they were of those acquainted with some ancient alphabet known and used along the coast and among the islands of the European continent. Powell, the antiquarian, says: "Four of the characters correspond to the ancient Greek, four to the Etruscan, five to the Norse, six to the Gaelic, seven to the old Erse, and ten to the Phoenician." Certain it is that these char- acters were those of the ancient rock alphabet consisting of right and acute angled strokes used by the Pelasgi and other early Med- iterranean people and which is the parent of the modern Runic as well as of the Bardic. How came this Stone to be in a West Virginia mound is a question which scientists and antiquarians will continue to ask, but one which will never be answered. MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS. were found roaming from place to place in the Ameri- can wilderness. They were altogether ignorant of the country from which their ancestors had come, and of the period at which they had been transplanted to the New World. And, although there were traditions among them seeming to cast some light upon these subjects, yet, when thoroughly investigated, they tended rather to bewilder than to lead to any satis- factory conclusions. They knew no more of the work of the Mound Builders than we do. 3. The Tribal Organizations of the Indians.— The Indians, though seeming to know nothing what- ever of any form of national government, nevertheless existed in great tribal organizations, each having its distinctive characteristics and name, and each con- fined, in a way, to certain geographical limits and under the leadership of ruling chiefs. Thus, in New England, were the Pequods and Narragansetts; in New York and Pennsylvania, the Six Nations; in Virginia, the Powhatans; in Tennessee and other southern states, the Cherokees, Creeks, Catawbas, Seminoles and Yamasees, while north and west of the Ohio dwelt the Miamas, Potawatamies and several other tribes. 4. The Indians of West Virginia.—That part of the present State of West Virginia south of the Great Kanawha river was claimed by the Cherokees, while the region drained by that stream and its tribu- taries, was occupied by the Shawnees, one of the most warlike tribes with which the white people came in contact; they had towns within the present county 18 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. of Greenbrier, and a large one at the mouth of Old Town creek, in Mason county; this latter they aban- doned about the year 1763. That part of the State between the Little Kanawha river and the present site of Wheeling, was the hunting ground of the Mingos, who had their towns on the northern bank of the Ohio, near where Steubenville now stands. The val- ley of the Mononga- hela river was occu- pied by the Delawares, while the region now embraced in the coun- ties of Morgan, Berke- ley and Jefferson, was the home of the Tus- caroras, which tribe removed from North Carolina in 1712, and, becoming one of the Confederated Tribes afterward known as the Six Nations, set- tled here. Tuscarora creek, which flows through the city of Martinsburg, derives its name from this tribe. 5. The Supremacy of the Six Nations.—The most powerful Indian Confederacy in America was that of the Six Nations, or the Five Nations, before MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS. it was joined by the Tuscaroras; until then, it was composed of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagos, Cayugas and Senecas. The names of rivers and lakes in western New York indicate the former resi- dence of these tribes. Fierce and warlike, they tri- umphed over the Eries, Susquehannas and other eastern nations. Then turning southward, they carried their victorious arms to the Tennessee, and westward to the shores of Lake Superior, and in 1675, they com- pelled allegiance on the part of the Delawares, Shaw- nees and other tribes. Thus, by conquest, they established their title to all the territory between the Alleghany mountains and the Great Lakes, and thus their rule was supreme in West Virginia. The Indians residing here acknowledged their su- premacy. 6. The West Virginia Hunting Grounds.—During the period of Indian occupation, West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground for many tribes. Over these extensive wilds, herds of bison, elk and deer roamed at will, all the way from the Alleghanies to the Ohio, and bear and much other game abounded in all this region. Here the Indian built his wigwam along the courses of the streams, and then chased the game through the dense forests, or wended his way along the war-path against the foe of his own race who had dared to trespass upon his hunting grounds. 7. Indian Battlefields Within the State.—Long before the coming of white men to West Virginia, the Indians quarreled and warred among themselves 20 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. and engaged in many bloody battles. Traditions of these struggles were preserved and communi- cated to the white settlers when they came to occupy the land. A bloody battle occurred about the year 1700, opposite the mouth of Antietam Creek, now in Jefferson county, on the Potomac river, between the Delaware and Catawba tribes. Every Delaware en- gaged, except one, was killed and every Catawba car- ried away a scalp. Other engagements between the savage warriors took place at the mouth of Opequon, near the mouth of the South Branch of the Potomac, MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS. 21 and at Hanging Rocks, now in the county of Hamp- shire. This latter was, perhaps, the most fiercely contested battle which the Indians ever fought among themselves in West Virginia. 22 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA 8. Indian Geography of West Virginia.—These Indian inhabitants knew all the country in which they lived and had given names—many of them pretty ones—to all the prominent landmarks and rivers of the State. Far to the northward and southward stretched a vast mountain system, and the Indians called it Ap-pal-ach-ia, meaning '' the endless moun- tains." They clambered over the mountains so long covered with snow and they called them the "Alle- gha-ny," signifying "the place of the foot print," or " the impression of the feet." 9. Indian Names of West Virginia Rivers.—The Indians warred for the possession of the Ohio Valley and the name " Ohio" was given to the river, mean- ing the " river of blood.'' The Big Sandy river was called the " Chat-ter-a-wha," the " river of sand-bars"; the Guyandotte river, the " Se-co-nee," the narrow bottom river''; the Great Kanawha river was the "Ken-in-she-ka," meaning in the Shawnee language "the river of evil spirits" but the Delawares called it the Kan-a-wha, "the place of the white stone.'' O-nim-go-how was the name of the Little Kanawha river; Po-co-tal-i-co meant '' plenty of fat doe"; Cole river was the "Wal-hon-de" of the Delawares, signifying the "hill creek"; the Shawnees called Elk river, "Tis- kel-wah," "river of fat elk," but the Delawares called it "Pe-quo-ni," "the walnut river"; Paint creek, a tributary of the Great Kanawha river, was known to the Delawares as "Ot-to-we," or "deer creek"; Gau- ley river was the " To-ke-bel-lo-ke" of the Dela- wares, meaning the " falling creek"; the Greenbrier MOUND BUILDERS AND INDIANS 23 river was known to the Miamas as the " We-ot-o- we," while the Delawares called it "O-ne-pa-ke"; Blue Stone river was the " Mo-mon-go-sen-eka," "the big stone creek," of the Delawares who called East river the " Ta-le-mo-te-no." The Shenandoah was "the river of the stars"; the Po-to-meck has been changed to its present form; the South Branch of the Potomac was the " Wap-pa-tom-ica," and the North Branch the "Co-hon-go-ru-ta", meaning the "river of the wild goose;" the Delawares called the river on which they lived the " Mo-non-ga-he-la" signifying the '' river of caving banks." " Weeling,'' "the place of the skull," was the name of Wheeling creek, and from it we have the name of the principal city of the State. 10. The Indian as a Factor in Our History.— Such was West Virginia, its inhabitants and geogra- phy, before the coming of white men, who were des- tined to build homes in the wilderness, but in doing this, they were to dispute its possession with the Indians, who for more than a hundred years waged a fierce and relentless warfare upon the white settlers. But it was a struggle between civilization and barbar- ism and the result was the final supremacy of the former. The people who once occupied West Virginia, and made much of its history, have been driven out of the territory now embraced within the State, driven beyond the Mississippi to the western part of the Con- tinent. " A moment, and the pageant's gone; The red men are no more. The pale-faced stranger stands alone Upon the river shore." —Paulding. CHAPTER III. THE FOUNDING OF EUROPEAN COLONIES ON THE ATLANTIC COAST. From 1607 to 1669. 1. The Partition of a Continent.—No sooner did Columbus make known to Europe the existence of a New World, than many nations hastened to possess portions of it. Spain was the country that aided Columbus in making the discovery and that kingdom proceeded to conquer its newly acquired possessions, and by these triumphs, the civilizations of Mexico and Peru perished from the earth. Prance was not slow to profit by the discovery of Columbus. Far away, hundreds of miles toward the Arctic Circle, she took possession of the country along the St. Lawrence and around Lake Champlain, and hastened to plant colonies. Between the Spanish possessions on the south and those of France on the north, lay a territory extending from the 34th to the 50th parallel of north latitude, and stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. England laid claim to all this region, basing her right upon the discov- eries of John and Sebastian Cabot, who were the first to explore the eastern coast of North America, they having sailed from Labrador to the Capes of Virginia in the year 1498. 24 FOUNDING OF EUROPEAN COLONIES. 25 2. How West Virginia was Settled by White Men. —West Virginia being an inland State, was not settled by emigrants from Europe, as were the States along the Atlantic Coast. It was from these that the white settlers of West Virginia chiefly came, and if we would properly understand the history of our own State, we must, before beginning its study, leam some- thing of the colonization of the States from which the people came to settle ours. 3. Colonization of Virginia.—Virginia, of which West Virginia was so long a part, is the oldest Amer- ican State. One hundred and fifteen years passed away after the discovery by Columbus, and in that time, no white man had found a home in all the country from the Everglades of Florida to the Pine- clad hills of Nova Scotia. But the time was now at hand when civilized men should come to found a great nation in America. In 1606, the English King, James I., granted a patent for territory in America to a corporation composed of men of his kingdom, to be known as the Virginia Company of London, and the object was the founding of a permanent col- ony in the New World. 4. Collecting the Colonists.—The Company im- mediately set about the work before it, and colonists to the number of one hundred and five were speedily collected in and about London, and a little fleet, which was to bear them from the shores of the Old World to the wilds of the New, lay at anchor at the docks of Blackwall, and here, on December 19th, 1606, the colonists went on board, and the next day 26 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. the ships anchored at London. Three small vessels, that would not now be thought worthy to attempt the passage of the Atlantic, composed the fleet. They were the " Susan Constant" of one hundred and twenty tons burden, commanded by Captain Chris- topher Newport, and carrying seventy-one persons; the '' God-speed'' of forty tons, Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, and having on board fifty-two persons, and the "Discovery," a pinnace of twenty tons, Captain John Radcliffe, bearing twenty-one persons. The number of persons on board aggregated one hundred and thirty- four, of whom twenty-nine composed the ships' crews and the remaining one hundred and five were colonists. 5. The Departure from England.—On Saturday, December 20th, 1606, the ships dropped down the Thames river, but they were buffeted by contrary winds and, January 1st, 1606-7, they cast anchor in the Downs. Here, for six weeks, continuous storms detained them in sight of England. But at length the tempest abated. Again the sails were spread and the little fleet stood out to sea. Gentle winds wafted it onward and the shores of England faded from view, and the blue hills of Ireland disappeared in the distance. The ships were steered to the southwest, and, in time, reached the Canary Islands. There they took in a sup- ply of water, and five days later, sailed for San Domingo. 6. The Colonists at Sea.—Winds drove the fleet onward over the billows and on February 24th, 1606-7,* it cast anchor at San Domingo. April the *This manner of the double dating of events occurring between the 1st day of January and the 25th day of March, in all the years 10th ensuing, the voyage was continued, and the ships were steered northward in hope of finding the long- sought haven. On April 14th they crossed the Tropic of Cancer and on the 21st, at 5 o'clock in the evening, they were overtaken by a terrific storm of wind, rain and thunder, but the ships out-rode it, and on April 26th, the watch descried land to the westward. between 1582 and 1752, is observed by writers of that period. Until the last named year, the 25th of March was regarded as New Year's day, or the first day of the year, and since that time the 1st day of January has been so regarded. England and her American colonies adopted the latter method in 1752, in com- pliance with an act of Parliament, which provided that the calen- dar according to which the year begins on the 25th of March, should not be used after the 31st day of December, 1751, and the 1st day of January ensuing should be called and known as the first day of the year 1752, and each succeeding year, throughout the Brit- ish Dominions. From this it will be seen that the method of double dating here used, is very necessary, for if we regard March 25th as the beginning of the year, then the ships reached San Domingo February 24th, 1606 ; but if we consider the year as be- ginning on the 1st day of January, then the ships anchored at San Domingo February 24th, 1607. 28 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. 7. The Fleet on the Coast of Virginia.—Because of unfavorable winds, these founders of the oldest Ameri- can State were tempest-tossed on the restless ocean for long weeks and months, during a portion of which time many were ill, and Robert Hunt, their preacher, was so sick that it was thought that he could not survive. It was the 26th day of April—one hundred and twenty-eight days after the departure from Black- wall—when they entered the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, and upon the capes on either side, they bestowed the names of Charles and Henry, in honor of the sons of King James, the first of whom was afterward the unfor- tunate Charles I., and the second is known to history as Prince Henry. The ships, after entering the bay, lay at anchor for several days at Old Point Comfort. 8. The Founding of Jamestown.—On May 12th the sails were again unfurled and the ships were steered FOUNDING OF EUROPEAN COLONIES. into the mouth of a magnificent river, which the natives called Powhatan, but to which the Colonists gave the name of James, in honor of their beloved sovereign. The voyage was continued up the river to a point about fifty miles from its mouth, and here on May 13th, 1607, these cavaliers went on shore and laid the foundation of Jamestown, the oldest permanent English settlement in America. This was thirteen years and six months before any other English colony was established in what is now the United States. 9. Settlement of Massachusetts.—From Massa- chusetts came some of the pioneer settlers of West Virginia. This was the second American State per- manently settled by the English. One stormy day in December, 1620, a little ship named the "Mayflower" hove in sight off the bleak shore of Cape Cod, on the coast of Massachusetts. On board the ship was a band of devoted Christian people, who, more than two months before, had left England, and during all that time had been buffeted by wind and wave on the broad Atlantic; but the voyage was now past, and, at last, when all had almost given way to despair, these heart-sick men and women reached the long-looked- for harbor, and upon the 21st of this mid-winter month, after having spent some time in exploring, the weary voyagers landed at Plymouth Harbor, which they named after the place they had left behind them in their native land. Such was the beginning of New England. 10. Colonization of Maryland.—The "Ark" and the "Dove"—names emblematic of safety and peace 30 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. —were two historic ships. They bore the first colo- nists to Lord Baltimore's province of Maryland, a State now so intimately connected with our own. It was October, 1633, when the settlers, two hundred in number, went on board and the ships sailed from Gravesend, near the mouth of the Thames river. They touched at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, and November 22d, steered for the Azores, and then for the West Indies. Reaching Barbadoes, the vessels were detained for some time and did not reach Chesapeake bay until the 27th day of February, 1633-4. At Point Comfort both vessels received supplies. Thence they proceeded slowly up the bay, and on the 27th of March—thirty days after passing the capes of Vir- ginia—amid the booming of cannon from the ships, the immigrants went on shore and founded St. Marys, the oldest settlement in Maryland. Here had landed the men who were to make this State famous as the home of liberty-loving people. Many early West Virginia settlers came from Maryland. 11.—The First Colonists of South Carolina.— South Carolina soldiers served in West Virginia dur- ing the Indian wars, and the history of the people of that State is, therefore, connected with the early annals of our own. The colonists, two hundred in number, destined for South Carolina, left England in 1669. The ships that conveyed them, were the "Carolina," the "Port Royal," and the sloop "Al- bemarle." Leaving England, the little fleet put in at Kinsale, Ireland, for additional emigrants. Then the sails were spread, and, the "Carolina," with FOUNDING OF EUROPEAN COLONIES. 31 ninety-three passengers on board, in the lead, the pilots steered for the West Indies. The ocean was crossed, but the "Albemarle" went down before a hurricane at Barbadoes, and the " Port Royal " met a similar fate among the Bahamas. A sloop was pur- chased at Barbadoes to convey the rescued passengers, but she was parted from the " Carolina " by a storm on the high seas and was driven into a port at the Bermudas. There, too, the " Carolina " cast anchor, but both vessels sailed on the 26th of February, 1669-70, and early in March, reached Seewee, now Charleston, and thence proceeded to Port Royal Harbor. Here they remained until April, when the voyage was continued to Kiawah, now Ashley River, where the emigrants went ashore and laid the foundation of Charleston, the first English settlement in South Carolina. 12. The Land of William Penn.—Many of the people of West Virginia now trace their ancestry back a century or more to Pennsylvania homes. The name of the ship that bore William Penn to Pennsylvania- was the "Welcome," and the account of her voyage is a sad recital. When out from port but a few days, the smallpox appeared among the passengers, and before land was sighted, a third of them were dead. The "Welcome" was tempest-tossed, but she outrode the storm, passed the capes at the entrance of Dela- ware bay, and four days later, October 27th, 1682, cast anchor where New Castle now stands. 13. The Coming of the Founders of Georgia. — Another historic ship left England in 1732. It was 32 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. the "Anne," of two hundred tons burden, Captain Thomas, and having on board two hundred colonists, men, women and children, destined as the founders of Oglethorpe's province of Georgia. The "Anne" left the English coast November 17th, 1732, and on January 13th, 1732-3, reached Charleston Harbor on the coast of South Carolina. Thence passing on to the Savannah river, the colonists went ashore on its right bank and began building Savannah, the old- est city in Georgia. These were the founders of the last one of the thirteen original colonies; that is, those existing at the beginning of the Revolution. 14. The Beginning of the States was the Be- ginning' of the Nation.—From these small beginnings great states have developed and with others, they have united and formed the great Nation—the United States of America, of which the State of West Virginia is one. From these States on the Atlantic coast, which we have mentioned, many people came to settle in West Virginia; especially is this true of Pennsylvania and Maryland. But the great mass of those who first found homes in our State came from that part of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge, and that the story of the two Virginias, inseparable as it is, may be studied connectedly, we must return to that little Colony planted on the banks of the James river in 1607; for around it as a central point is grouped the early history of the Virginias, as well as much of our national history. 15. The Character of the Virginia Colonists.— We have seen how the first settlers came to Virginia. FOUNDING OF EUROPEAN COLONIES. . 33 The early annals of the Colony abound with evidence that they were a devoted Christian people, who saw and recognized not only the guiding hand of Providence in all their affairs, but, in the wilderness, were firm believers in the teachings of Christianity. The prin- cipal mover of the organization of the Virginia Com- pany of London was Richard Hackluyt, himself a minister and prebendary of Westminster. The Com- pany gave to the colonists, when ready to sail, a series of orders, the last of which was as follows: "Lastly and chiefly, the way to prosper and achieve good success is to make yourselves all of one mind, for the good of your country, and your own, and to serve and fear God, the Giver of all goodness; for every plantation which Our Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out." Rev. Robert Hunt was the first minister in Virginia, and before the erec- tion of a church at Jamestown, the people prepared a place of worship by attaching a piece of sail-cloth to three or four trees as a protection from the sun, and for a pulpit a bar of wood was spiked to two trees. There met the first church organization of Virginia, and the first of English speaking people in America. 16. The First Efforts to Establish a School in the United States.—The first effort to establish a school of any character in the United States, was made at Jamestown in Virginia. The Virginia Com- pany, composed, as it was, of men desiring the intel- lectual development of the colonists, ever urged the importance of education, and in 1619, it supplemented 34 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. the &1,500 collected, by a donation of 15,000 acres of land to aid the Indian Mission school at Henrico. But this was not the only effort in this direction. In 1621, the devoted Rev. Patrick Copland, chaplain of an East India ship, collected funds to aid in the establishment of a Free School in Charles City, Vir- ginia, the said institution to be known as the East India School. 17. From the Sea to the Mountains.—For a num- ber of years after the founding of Jamestown the settlements were confined to the valley of the James river, but at length the population increased until the homes of civilized men extended far into the interior, and this, too, despite the fierce warfare carried on by the Indians. In 1670, there were 40,000 English speaking people in Virginia, so that by that time thousands of homes dotted all the landscape from the sea to the mountains. These hardy pioneers had extended the domain of civilization even to the base of the Blue Ridge, but no one had dared to found a home beyond that rocky barrier. So with Virginia's sister colonies to the north and south. They had greatly increased in population and had extended set- tlements, but none of them west of the mountains. But "Westward the Star of Empire takes its way." West Virginia lay in its line of march and it is, in point of settlement, the oldest American State west of the Appalachian mountains, and no other common- wealth has. a more interesting or instructive history than it. CHAPTER IV. EXPLORATION AND FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. From 1669 to 1735. 1. Exploration of John Lederer.—The first white man within the present limits of West Virginia was John Lederer. He was a German by birth and was an authorized explorer in the employment of Sir William Berkeley, a Colonial Governor of Virginia. Lederer made several journeys into the wilderness to the westward. On one of these, he crossed the Blue Ridge, in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, in what is now Jefferson county, West Virginia. From here he appears to have journeyed farther to the west over the mountains into what is now Hampshire county, and, probably, visited the valley of Cheat river. This exploration was made in 1669. A map of the same has been preserved on which is a delineation of the Potomac river, represented as being divided into two branches. 2. The Discovery of the Ohio River.—By a singu- lar coincidence, at the same time that John Lederer was exploring the mountain region of West Virginia, a representative of another nation beyond the sea, saw the western part of the State, when descending the Ohio river. This was Robert Cavelier La Salle, one of the most eminent French explorers of the New SB 36 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. World. It was in the year 1663, that Europeans heard of the Ohio river, and the first intimation of its existence came from the Indians to Dollier, a French missionary in Can- ada. It was reported to be almost as large as the St. Lawrence. This informa- tion inspired the adventur- ous spirit of La Salle with a desire to behold the great river. Accordingly, with Indian guides, he be- gan his journey by way of Onondaga, New York. In October, 1669, he reached the Allegheny river which STATUE OF LA SALLE LINCOLN PARK, CHICAGO. he descended to its junction with the Monongahela, and thence continued down the Ohio as far as the falls—now Louisville, Kentucky. There his guides deserted him and he was compelled to make his way back to Canada alone. The first white men who reached the Falls of the great Kanawha, were Thomas Batts, Robert Fallam, and Thomas Woods, who, with Jack Neasam, left the Appomattox Indian town on the Appomattox river, in Virginia, September 1, 1671, and fifteen days later arrived at the Falls. 3. Expedition of Governor Spottswood over the Blue Ridge.—Alexander Spottswood was one of the most distinguished individuals that controlled the destiny of Colonial Virginia. Hardy pioneers had extended civilization over the eastern part of the FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. 37 Colony, but of the region to the westward, nothing was known; the time was now come when white men should penetrate the vast wilderness and return to tell the story of its wonderful resources. Governor ALEX. SPOTTSWOOD. Spottswood equipped a party of thirty horsemen, and, heading it in person, left Williamsburg. then the capital of Virginia, on June 20th, 1716. *Alexander Spottswood, who led the party, was born in 1676, at Tangier, then an English Colony, in Africa, his father being the resident surgeon. He was a thoroughly trained soldier, serving on the Continent under the Duke of Marlborough. He was dan- gerously wounded at the battle of Blenheim, in 1704, when serv- ing as quartermaster-general, with the rank of Colonel. He arrived in Virginia in 1710, as Lieutenant-Governor under George Hamilton, the Earl of Orkney, and his administration was the most able of all the Colonial rulers. He, in connection with Rob- ert Carry of England, established the first iron furnace in North America. In 1730, he was made Deputy Postmaster-General for the American Colonies, and it was he who promoted Ben- jamin Franklin to the position of Postmaster for the province of Pennsylvania. He rose to the rank of Major-General and, 38 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. 4. The Party on the Summit of the Blue Ridge. —Pressing onward through King William and Mid- dlesex counties, they reached the Blue Ridge, which they passed by way of Swift Run Gap. Crossing the Shenandoah river, the intrepid governor and his party pushed onward across the Shenandoah Valley and up the mountains until, on September 5th, 1716, on one of the loftiest peaks of the Appalachian range, prob- ably within the present limits of Rockingham county, Old Virginia, they halted and drank a health to King George. What a spot! never before had the voice of civilized man been heard amid this mountain fast- ness. Here Robert Brooke, one of the party and the king's surveyor-general, conducted the first scientific observation ever made upon the Appalachian mount- ains. 5. The Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.—The party returned to Williamsburg and gave the most glowing description of the country which they had visited, and for the purpose of inducing emigration to this far western land, Governor Spottswood established the Trans-Montaine Order, or Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, giving to each of those who had accom- when on the eve of embarking with troops destined for Cartha- gena, died at Annapolis, Maryland, June 7th, 1740. He owned the house in which Lord Cornwallis afterward signed the articles of capitulation at Yorktown. Lady Spottswood, who became the wife of Governor Alexan- der Spottswood, in 1724, was Anne Butler, daughter of Richard Brayne, of Westminster, England. She derived her middle name from James Butler, Duke of Ormond, her god-father. There are many descendants of the issue of this marriage in Virginia and West Virginia. FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. 39 panied him a miniature horseshoe; some of these were set with valuable stones, and all bore the inscrip- tion, Sic jurat transcendere monies—Thus he swears to cross the mountains. These were given to all who would accept them with the understanding that they would comply with the terms implied in the inscrip- tion. 6. Shenandoah the Home of Savage Men.—The valley region includes all the territory lying between the Blue Ridge on the east and the Alleghany moun- tains on the west. The first quarter of the eighteenth century passed away and savage men roamed back and forth through all its wide extent, and quarreled and warred among themselves for the possession of the hunting grounds, then a howling wilderness. But the time was near at hand when those who were to settle the land, were to occupy it. The Shenandoah Valley was to be redeemed from the sway of barbarous men and made the dwelling-place of civilization. 7. No Definite Western Boundaries of Virginia's Border Counties.—Virginia was the first state in the world composed of separate political divisions based upon the principle of representative self-government. In 1634, twenty-seven years after the founding of Jamestown, the colony was divided into eight counties or shires, similar to those of England. Virginia ever tried to keep civil government abreast of her most adventurous pioneers, and to accomplish this, the House of Burgesses—the legislative body of the Col- ony—continued to make provision for the formation of new counties. These were usually established 40 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. with defined boundaries except on the west, where the county extended indefinitely into the wilderness, so that the settlement on the utmost bounds of civiliza- tion would be included. 8. Exploration of John Van Matre.—About the year 1735, John Van Matre, a representative of an old Dutch family of New York, traversed the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac. He was an Indian trader making his headquarters with the Delawares, a part of which tribe then resided on the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania, whence he jour- neyed far toward the south to trade with the Cherokees and Catawbas. Returning to New York, he advised his sons, if they ever removed to Virginia, to secure lands on the South Branch, these being, as he said, the best he had seen. 9. Morgan Morgan, the First White Man to Find a Home in West Virginia.—John Lederer came as an explorer; Governor Spottswood and party came as ad- venturers ; John Van Matre came as an Indian trader, but his sons,whom he advised regarding the fertile lands of the South Branch, were not to be the first to estab- lish a home within the State. Morgan Morgan was the name of him who reared the first cabin home in West Virginia. The year was 1726-7, and the place was the vicinity of the present village of Bunker Hill, on Mill Creek, in Mill Creek magisterial district, in what is now Berkeley county. Morgan Morgan was a native of Wales, from whence he emigrated in early life to Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Church of England and noted for his exemplary piety. With the FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. soberness of a sound mind and the earnestness of a pious heart, he went about doing good, but forgot not his own household. Late in life he became a minis- ter of the church, and was a power for good in that wilderness land. Such was the character of the man who established the first Christian home in West Vir- ginia. 10. The Founding of Mecklenberg, now Shep- herdstown.—One mile below the present town of Shepherdstown is what has been known for nearly two hundred years as the "Old Pack-horse Ford," which was the only crossing of the Potomac river east or west of it. By way of this ford came the Ger- mans from Pennsylvania, who found here the gateway to the fertile lands south of the Potomac. Hither came a number of them as early as 1727-8, and once across the river they saw on all sides the grey lime- stone, reminding them of similar scenes in the Father- land, and here they halted. They built a little village which they called New Mecklenberg, from the city of that name in Germany. Thus was founded the old- est town in West Virginia. Thirty-four years later the Virginia House of Burgesses legally established the town and afterward changed the name to that of Shepherdstown, in honor of Thomas Shepherd, who laid it out. 11. The Van Matre Patent.—It has been stated that John Van Matre, the Indian trader, advised his sons to secure lands on the Virginia frontier. One of them, Isaac Van Matre, visited that region about the year 1727, and so pleased was he that, in 1730, he and his 42 HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT OF WEST VIRGINIA. brother John, received from Governor Gooch a patent for 40,000 acres of land which they located and sur- veyed the same year. Much of it was in what are now Jefferson and Berkeley counties. 12. Joist Kite's Colony.—In 1731, the Van Matres sold a part of these lands to Joist Hite, who, in the year 1732, with his family and three of his sons-in- law, George Bowman, Jacob Chrisman and Paul Fro- man, and other persons to the number of sixteen fam- ilies, left York, Pennsylvania, and cutting their way through the wilderness, crossed the Potomac at the '' Old Pack-horse Ford,'' and thence proceeding up the Valley, found homes in the vicinity of Winches- ter. These settlements were made in what is now Frederick county, Virginia, and, therefore, not within the present borders of this State, but we make men- tion of them, for they exerted a great influence upon the early settlements within the present boundaries of Berkeley and Jefferson counties. 13. Other Early West Virginia Pioneers.—In 1730, and the years immediately following, a number of daring frontiersmen found homes in West Virginia. They settled principally upon the Opequon, Back creek, Tuscarora creek, Little and Great Cacapon, along the Potomac and in the South Branch Valley. Some were Scotch-Irish and Germans, but these were not the only people who found early homes in West Virginia; for in its occupation and settlement, there were blended almost all of the elements of European civilization which were transplanted to our country. For awhile these distinct elements maintained their EARLY HISTORY OF THE STATE. 43 individuality, but a long series of Indian wars, together with the Revolution, forced them into a united whole, and so complete was the assimilation that instead of a later divergence they have by common interests become more firmly bound together. " Our forest life was rough and rude, And dangers closed us round ; But here amid the green old wood, Freedom was sought and found." — Gallagher.