Histories of 58 WV Communities - Chapter 20



Chapter 20  Summers County
Clayton - Forest Hill


                      HISTORY OF CLAYTON COMMUNITY
                          By Mr. C. H. Graham
                                1923

In writing a history of our community, we are at somewhat of a loss to 
know just where the boundary line should be located. In the early 
settlement of our community, the lines that bounded a given neighborhood 
were much farther extended than at a later period when settlements and 
communities became more thickly peopled. In the first instance neighbors 
were few and far apart and people living eight or ten miles apart, were 
often considered neighbors and belonging to the same community. As a 
community becomes more densely populated the boundary lines of that 
community become shortened, and only include those living in one immediate 
vicinity. 

Therefore, in describing the events that took place in the early 
settlement of our community, we shall reach out to what was then 
considered as a community neighborhood and in speaking of more recent 
events, we shall confine ourselves more particularly to the circle which 
now composes our local community. Up until less than a half century ago 
the Clayton and Griffith Creek neighborhoods were considered as one 
community. We shall, therefore, first speak of the early settlement of 
this larger circle. 

The first grant of land made to any one in this geographical boundary was 
granted to Colonel James Graham who was a pioneer settler of the Lowell 
Community which is located about six miles to the south of us. This grant 
called for two-hundred and eighty- six acres, and included the site of the 
Clayton post office, and was made in the year 1786, one hundred and thirty-
seven years ago. The parchment upon which this grant was written is now in 
the possession of the writer and is in a good state of preservation. It is 
sighed by Edmond Randolph, Esq. Governor of Virginia. 

The first permanent settlers on these lands were, Joseph Graham and his 
family, who settled here in the year 1813, one hundred and ten years ago. 
It is true that there were two or three other transitory settlers who had 
temporarily located here before the coming of Graham, principally for the 
purpose of hunting the wild game then so plentiful. Instead of locating a 
permanent home these settlers had no title or claim to the land on which 
they lived and were termed "squatters". 

Among these were one Martin McGraw, who lived about one-half mile north of 
the present post office, and Bailey Woods whose cabin stood about the same 
distance westward. These settlers remained but a few short years until 
they migrated farther west and settled again in Fayette County. Many of 
their descendants are still to be found, some of whom became prominent 
men. Among the descendants of Bailey Woods were his son Eli, who became a 
prominent Baptist preacher in Fayette and adjoining counties; also Dr. M. 
L. Wood, an able Baptist divine of Huntington is a descendant of the 
original Bailey Woods. 

About one mile southeast of the Graham homestead on the farm now owned by 
Mr. H. D. Gum, lived one Robert Withrow, who was a shoemaker, or in the 
vocabulary of that day a "shoe cobbler" and the knob near his old home is 
to this day known as "Cobbler's Knob". 

Soon after the departure of Withrow he was followed by one Peter Eades, 
who raised a large family and remained on this farm for forty or fifty 
years. This tract of land on which Eades lived contained one thousand 
acres and was owned by a Mr. Forelander, who lived in Union, Monroe 
County, and who purchased this land at a tax sale, there being two 
thousand acres in the original tract. Forelander bought the land without 
any knowledge as to where it was located or its value. Believing that 
Joseph Graham might aid him in locating this tract he offered him one-half 
of the land if he would find where it lay. As the land lay contiguous to 
other lands owned by Graham and near his home he had but little trouble in 
locating it and thus acquired title to his part, one thousand acres. Soon 
after purchasing this land Forelander moved to the state of Indiana, 
leaving his land behind, Eades having soon afterward settled on the land 
without contract or without Forelander's knowledge paid no rent, except he 
kept the taxes paid in Forelander's name, thus keeping good his landlord's 
title. 

Forelander lived to a good old age and died supposing his land had long 
since been sold for taxes and that he had lost title thereto. After Eades 
vacated the land, Mr. John Hill, father of our Mr. Geo. W. Hill moved on 
the land and still paid the taxes as they came due, charged to 
Forelander's heirs, thus for more than fifty years was this title kept 
good without the knowledge of the real owner. About the year 1875 some of 
the Forelander's heirs, by mere accident, were informed that back in the 
mountains of West Virginia they had title to one thousand acres of land. 
They investigated and found that the report was true, and after giving 
ample proof that they were the legal heirs of the original owner the land 
was turned over to them. The land was subdivided and afterwards sold and 
parceled out to different owners and now furnishes home for at least a 
dozen families. 

We have gone into the details of the history of this tract of land rather 
largely because of the unique and very rare circumstances surrounding it. 

Now, after this discussion, let us return to the further history of Peter 
Eades. After the death of his wife in 1866, he moved to Union and made his 
home with his daughter, Mrs. Lucy Keadle, where he spent the remainder of 
his life, living to a good old age. He was an expert fiddler, and when 
ninety years old played the fiddle while Wm. Bowlinger a toll gate keeper 
of Union danced to the music on his one hundred birthday. The writer 
chanced to be in Union on that day and while he did not see the dancing or 
hear the music, he did see Mr. Bowlinger go to the spring and carry a 
bucket of water back to his house a distance of forty or fifty yards and 
his step was as supple as that of most men at sixty. 

Mr. Eades left behind him a large list of descendants, many of whom became 
prominent men. Professor Keadle, who was lately county superintendent of 
schools of our county and who is yet very prominent and active in 
educational matters is a descendant of our Eades as is also Mr. J. D. 
Cary, who is superintendent of one of the divisions of the C. & 0. R. R. 

Not long after the coming of Graham, there settled a man by the name of 
Enos Ellis at the mouth of Griffith's Creek, which is some three miles 
east of Clayton. Mr. Ellis was very fond of hunting and trapping and chose 
the lands whereon he settled in preference to the more valuable lands on 
the opposite side of the river that he might be near the mountains with 
free access to hunt the wild game that was so plentiful. Ellis was a firm 
believer that Keeney's Knob was under-laid with beds and mines of valuable 
ore and mineral, and tradition tells us to this day that somewhere and in 
some place unknown to any human being save himself, that this old hunter 
went back into this unknown somewhere and dug from its original bed all 
the lead needed for the bullets of his famous hunting rifle. The knowledge 
of this lead mine died with the passing of this grand old hunter, and no 
trace of it has since been discovered. There was a settler at the Ellis 
place previous to the coming of Ellis of whom we will speak later. 

The first death to occur in our community was that of a Revolutionary 
soldier whose name was Sheppard. He died at the home of Bailey Woods and 
was buried on top of the hill east of the post office in what was then a 
dense forest in a lonely grave with no sleeping dead near him. His name is 
still perpetuated to this day in that his last resting place is called 
Sheppard's Hill. Tradition tells us that he took great pride in showing 
his army coat whose skirts had been torn by British balls. He seems to 
have been a homeless way-faring old soldier without a permanent place of 
abode and in his passing to the great beyond, also passed out all history 
of his family and his life. 

Another fact worthy of mention, is that the last white man killed by 
Indians, east of the Ohio river was killed in our community about the year 
1780. This man whose name was Thomas Griffith was killed at the mouth of 
the Creek, bearing his name on the same place later occupied by Ena Ellis. 
Tradition tells us that early one morning about the peep of day, when 
Griffith stepped from his cabin door that a single shot fired from a gun 
of a small band of marauding Indians, who lay in ambush, rang out on the 
still quiet morning air, and snapped the life of this poor innocent, 
unsuspecting man. Why a small band of Indians would leave their native 
clan across the Ohio river and travel a distance of nearly two hundred 
miles through a dense forest and shoot down one lone victim and then 
retrace their steps recrossing the river never to return again is one of 
the mysteries that belong alone to Indian mythology. 

The first corn grist mill built in the near surrounding country was built 
in our community by Joseph Graham soon after he settled here. It was 
located just under the bluff where the Clayton church now stands, and did 
service for some twenty or thirty years. It was what is known as the tub 
wheel water power pattern. The old race that conveyed the water from the 
dam to the mill is still visible. 

The first church built in the community was erected about 3/4 of a century 
ago and was built of hewn logs and was very large and roomy for a log 
structure. It was built on the same site now occupied by the present 
church, and before the Civil War, was used for a school as well as church 
purposes. The first school taught in this house was presided over by a Mr. 
Peter Rookstool about the year 1856. Prior to that time there were schools 
taught on Griffith's Creek in different houses, for in that day there were 
scarcely any school buildings and school was taught wherever an empty 
house could be procured. Also to the southeast near what is now Valley 
Heights, there were one or more schools being taught, one of these schools 
was being taught by a lady by the name of Betsy Ann Brooks. 

One school was taught in the year 1857 in the basement of the old log 
house on the farm now owned by W. P. Ailiff. This school was taught by 
David Graham, the writer's father. 

In the old log church in the years 1858-59 and 60, there were three 
schools taught by Mr. Anderson Wheeler. Wheeler while limited in his 
educational facilities was a good teacher. 

The schools in those days were known as subscription schools, that is each 
parent or guardian signed an article of agreement binding himself to send 
so many children to school for a certain period usually three months and 
to pay the teacher a certain stipulated sum for each scholar per month and 
in turn the teacher, or according to the phraseology of the day the 
"School master", bound himself to teach spelling, reading, writing, and 
arithmetic as far as the single rule of three, and to keep good order. If 
he fell short in teaching some of the branches, he was usually excused 
provided he kept good order. 

In those primeval days order was the first consideration, and filling the 
minds of the scholars with useful knowledge was a second consideration. 
The close of this last named school brought us up to the outbreak of the 
Civil War, when all schools or hope of schools for the long period of four 
years had to be abandoned. 

As we today look back and take a retrospective view of the hardships and 
privations caused by that cruel war and consider that many bright boys and 
girls were deprived of all educational advantages, we can but think, that 
if the youth of our land had been trained, mentally, morally and 
scientifically along the common school branches for those four years, 
instead of filling their youthful minds with political hatred, malice, and 
all kinds of immorality incident to war, that our country would have gone 
forward with untold strides of mental, moral, and financial prosperity. 
The war came and went, leaving our community like most others in the 
section to a certain extent divided on the great issues which brought 
about that dreadful conflict. 

Some contending at the out break of the war that the seceding of the state 
(this community was then in Virginia.) from the Union was the only way to 
correct the wrongs, our imaginary wrongs, that we had been subjugated to, 
while others believed that the Union should remain one and inseparable. 
These opinions of either side having been promulgated and aggravated by 
the poisoning malice of four years of war, left neighbor arrayed against 
neighbor and even kinsman against kinsman. But when the black smoke of 
battle had drifted away and the white winged dove of peace again spread 
her sails over the land and the minds of the people of our community 
became centered on peace instead of war, then we soon learned to forget 
the difference that separated us during those never-to-be-forgotten four 
years and all again joined hands and hearts in the upbuilding of our 
wrecked community. One of the first steps in this direction was the 
establishing of a school in the fall of 1865. This was a subscription 
school, taught by David Graham in an upstairs room of the old home of 
Joseph Graham, the settler, then occupied by his widow and two bachelor 
sons, John and James. The old log church was in a state of bad repair and 
could not then be used for school purposes. This brought us up to the 
present free system of schools of our state, a system of education then 
entirely new and untried by our people. 

We mention with a feeling, we trust of pardonable pride, that the first 
free school under the laws of West Virginia, taught in Monroe County, 
(this community was then in Monroe County) or so far as we know the first 
free school taught in southern West Virginia was taught in our community 
in an old log house formerly used as a dwelling on the farm now owned and 
occupied by Mr. J. T. Canterberry, beginning in the fall of 1866. Mr. 
William Dempsey a native who lived in the community, was the teacher and 
the term was three months. The circumstances under which this school was 
established as we recall them are as follows: 

While the new state of West Virginia was established in 1863 and as every 
one knows was stricken off from the old mother state of Virginia, but for 
the reason that the whole country was then in a state of war, the southern 
counties of the new state were controlled by the old state until after the 
declaration of peace while the more northern counties were operated as 
part of the new state from its organization. Thus the process of the 
southern counties relinquishing their ties from the mother state, and 
adopting themselves to the new order of things, under the laws of the new 
state was slow and tedious, and it was not till the fall of 1866 that 
school officers were elected to try out the new system of education. 

The first Board of Education of Wolf Creek district was composed of John 
Miller, Wm. Dempsey and David Graham, the two last named belonging to our 
community, and as there was no local funds on hand and the time of the 
year for laying levies was past there was little hope of starting schools 
that year. Under the school law, it was, however, discovered that by 
certain compliance therewith the state furnished a certain fund to help 
defray the school expenses, consequently a hasty application was made and 
sufficient funds guaranteed to justify a short term of school. Why other 
schools were not established at the same time in the same way we do not 
recall, but probably from the fact that teachers and vacant houses were 
scarce and the season too far spent. We give the circumstances of the 
first school as we remember them and they may be subject to some 
correction, but at any rate we know that this school was about one year in 
advance of any other free school within our knowledge. 

The second free school in our community was taught the following year by 
J. A. Graham in an old log house, the former home of Peter Eades. The 
first free school building erected in this community was built in 1868 on 
Griffiths Creek at a cost of $444.00 and is still standing in a fair state 
of preservation, though not now used for school purposes. The first 
teacher who taught in this house was Professor J. G. Dunnsmore, who has 
since made his name famous by establishing and maintaining Dunnsmore 
Business and Commercial College at Staunton, Virginia. 

The first school as well as several subsequent schools taught in this 
house were attended by people living two and one-half to three miles on 
either side. The children of Clayton neighborhood attended the school for 
about sixteen years, when in 1884 a school building was erected on the 
opposite side of the Creek from the post office. After a period of about 
ten years the location was changed and another house built on the hill on 
the site of the present school building. This single room school has grown 
now to a three room graded school, not with any consolidation with other 
schools but from the natural increase of the population of our school 
district. We have had many very earnest and influential teachers in these 
schools, among whom we might mention, O.C. Carter, Joseph Zicafoose, 
S.E.Sims, Mr. Sayre, C. M. Nelson, and others, as well as our present trio 
of teachers, consisting of Professor. Geo. Hill principal, Glenna Lacy, 
and Evelyn Utterback assistants, who are second to none in the district, 
all being energetic, and having the work assigned them well in hand, 
laboring not for the dollars and cents alone but for the good of the 
school and the upbuilding of our community in general. All these are 
native teachers and graduates of high school. 

At Griffiths Creek we have Mr. Paul Harris, principal and Miss Omar Lacy 
assistant, both high school graduates and native teachers. We have a 
number of high school graduates, former pupils of these elementary 
schools, and several others who are now attending high school. We also 
have in the state university at Morgantown two former pupils of our 
schools, Joseph and Harry Hill. We have dwelt on this subject of schools 
and education rather largely and at considerable length because we think 
it is the real index to the intelligence and progress of our community. We 
probably have omitted many things that might have been said concerning 
those who have taken prominent action toward the upbuilding and 
maintaining the high efficiency of our schools, but in the limited time, 
we had to prepare this sketch, as well as the limited space, to which we 
must confine our remarks, we hope to be pardoned for any oversight. 

The first county road constructed into and through our community was built 
from Johnson's Cross roads at the head of Wolf Creek in Monroe County, 
leading past what is now Creamery post office, thence on by way of Haynes' 
Ferry (Now Riffe's Crossing), and passing Buffalo Lick, (now the famous 
Pence Springs), thence up Cobbler's Knob, passing Joseph Graham's, (now 
Clayton post office) and continuing up and over Keeney's Knob to Lick 
Creek and down the same to Green Sulphur Springs, a distance of more than 
twenty miles. This road was not built from the proceeds of any bond issue, 
but by volunteer labor contributed by those living along and near the 
road. While this road was built almost regardless of grade, it filled its 
purpose in that day and time. Many immigrants and travelers passed over 
this road going westward. It was customary for those traveling by wagon to 
secure the service of an extra team to help pull up the mountain, and 
usually received this assistance from the family of Joseph Graham. A mail 
route was early established over this road, having Union as the starting 
point and ending at Gauley Bridge, a distance of some eighty miles. The 
mail was carried on horse back, and one week was consumed in making the 
round trip. The nearest post office to this community on the mail route 
was called Egypt, and was located some seven or eight miles away near 
where Creamery post office is now located. 

Our people as a rule have followed agriculture for a living, a few of the 
earlier settlers hunting, fishing and trapping. Deer was mostly sought by 
the hunter, while occasionally a bear was slain. Previous to the time of 
which we write, elk and buffalo were to be found, and traces of the old 
buffalo path leading across Keeney's Knob from Green Sulphur Springs to 
Buffalo Springs, are still to be seen. A few miles to our west a prominent 
peak on the mountain is called Elk Knob in honor of the animal that once 
made his home there. 

Our forests were heavily timbered with oak, ash, hickory, poplar, walnut 
chestnut and all other varieties adapted to this locality. To the earlier 
settler this timber was a nuisance and except what was used for fencing 
and building houses only served as a drawback against clearing up the 
land. 

After the completion of the C. & 0. Railway which opened up a market for 
this hitherto worthless product, our people turned their attention to 
marketing their timber. Many of our people engaged in the saw-mill 
business, others in getting out ties, staves, tan-bark and other forest 
products, while still others engaged in teaming and hauling logs lumber 
and other various forest products to market, thus a very large per cent of 
our people were engaged in this new industry, which operated very 
materially against agriculture, many claiming that they could buy the 
products of the farm and pay for them out of their lumber operations 
cheaper than they could produce them, hence farming lagged, fencing went 
down and brush grew up. At the end of a quarter of a century when the 
timber was largely removed and it became necessary for our citizens to 
return to farming many found themselves handicapped for the reason that 
their farms were in a terrible condition. 

On the other hand during this period of lumbering, people built better and 
more commodious houses and barns and many laid by a surplus from their 
timber operations that put them in better financial circumstances than 
before. 

We have some insignificant seams of coal cropping out on our mountain 
sides, but it has never been discovered in sufficient quantities to be of 
commercial value. Prior to the Civil War some of these veins were opened 
and used for blacksmith purposes, the coal being carried from the mines to 
the forge on pack-horses. Since commercial coal has reached us by railroad 
our native mines have been abandoned. 

We also have in our community a very fine grade of brown building stone. 
The value of this stone was discovered about the year 1886 and a company 
composed of Richmond capitalists was formed in 1887 which opened up a 
quarry on the farm now owned by Mr. W. P. Ailiff. This company built a 
tram road, from their quarries to the railroad at Glenray and for several 
years did a very large and lucrative business. At the time of their 
greater activity some forty or fifty men were employed. This stone is said 
by experts to possess very high building qualities, being of a very close 
texture and susceptible of a smooth and glossy polish as well as being 
unaffected by fire or freeze. The Masonic temple in Richmond, one of the 
finest buildings in the city is built of this stone. 

The introduction of concrete as a building material has practically 
superseded stone and for this and other reasons this quarry has been 
abandoned. 

Another matter which we think worthy of mention is the fact that we have 
had living in our midst an unusual number of long lived people and we beg 
to give some of their names as follows: Joseph Graham, the pioneer settler 
lived to enter his 92nd year. His wife Rebecca was 90 years old at the 
time of her death. Peter Eades lived for more than 90 years. Mrs. Eula 
Bowden whose exact age we cannot give was reputed to be more than one 
hundred years old at her death. John Ellis, son of Enos Ellis lived to the 
age of 87, and his maiden sister Miss Nancy passed away at the age of 105 
years. We are indebted to Mr. Enos Flint who is a nephew of the Ellises 
for the age of these two people. William Still who lived most of his life 
on Griffith's Creek passed away but a few years ago at 90 years. Barney 
Pollins who resided in our vicinity for a number of years died on 
Griffith's Creek many years ago in his 92nd year. Mrs. Nancy Alderson 
widow of Major Jack Alderson died in her 91st year. David Graham who died 
in 1914 was in his 94th year. Mrs. Nancy Ayres widow of John Ayres spent 
the first one hundred years of her life in our midst and about the year 
1900 moved to Ohio to enter on the second century of her existence in the 
home of her 80 year old son who had preceded her to that state many years 
before. Aunt Diana, a negress owned before her freedom by Joseph Graham 
lived to be between 90 and 100, her exact age not having been known. 
Newman Graham a grand-son of the settler, who was reared among us, but who 
now lives in Huntington is nearing his 90th year. Others we might mention 
are Levi Alderson, Betsy Flint, Malinda Lacy, Joseph Alderson, John Nolan, 
Samuel Ayres and John Graham all of whom lived to be 85 years and up and 
all lived in our community. 

The only slave-holders among us were Enos Ellis and Joseph Graham. Enos 
Ellis owned a number of slaves and strange to say they were all stricken 
with some fatal malady when in the prime of life and some seven or eight 
of them died within a short time, leaving but one negro man who recovered 
from the malady and whose name was Anderson and who after his freedom 
adopted the name Anderson Bundy and who is still remembered by many of our 
people. Of the Graham slaves there were three, Diana the mother and two 
sons, Ira and Stuart. After the death of their master which was in 1857 
the two negro men became obstinate and hard to control and for this reason 
they were sold about 1859 to a southern slave dealer and were driven south 
and probably placed upon the auction block and sold like cattle. They were 
never heard from after starting to the south. The price realized for them 
was one thousand dollars each. Diana remained in the family till after the 
freedom. There were many other slave holders in nearby communities but 
these were all in the section of which we write. 

The old log church was burned in 1882 or 1883 during a term of school, 
there being taught in it by one professor Smith of Washington D. C. It was 
not until 1902 that the present church was built and a few years 
thereafter a Baptist Church was organized. Our first church pastor was 
William Miller a young graduate of Alderson Academy and later a graduate 
of the Southern Theological Seminary of Louisville, Ky. and who is now at 
the head of a Christian Missionary school in Cuba. 

Our people as a rule have always been patriotic and law abiding and have 
always been ready to respect the country's call. No red flag has ever been 
hoisted or advocated in our midst. We believe in a government for the 
people and by the people and believe that the people have a right to 
support the government in order that the government may be strong and be 
able to protect its people in time of need. Our community has enjoyed the 
unique distinction of having been under the jurisdiction of two states and 
seven counties since the organization of our government. 

In 1743 the county of Augusta was formed and included all the territory of 
the state of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge to the Ohio River. This 
continued till 1770 when the county of Botetourt was formed and included 
our section till 1772 when Fincastle County was laid off and embraced this 
territory till 1776 when Fincastle County was abolished and its territory 
divided into three counties of Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky. Our 
community was included in the county of Montgomery. 

In 1780 Greenbrier County was organized and included our territory until 
1799, when we were included in Monroe County. In 1863 the state of West 
Virginia was formed and we were made a part of the new state. In 1872 
Summers County was formed, taking into its territory that part of Monroe 
to which we belonged. The first sheriff to whom we paid taxes in the new 
county was Evan Hinton, after whose family the town of Hinton was named 
and who also was the chief promoter in having the new county formed. 

As to our prominent citizens, while we have never had the honor of 
furnishing a president of the United States or a state governor, yet we 
believe that the natural intelligence of our community will compare 
favorably with that of other rural communities. Believing that school 
teachers form the basic foundation of knowledge and intelligence in any 
community, we beg to submit some of the names of those who have either 
been native born or who have either been native born of who have adopted 
our section and taught in the larger community of Clayton and Griffith's 
Creek or who have gone from among us and taught in other sections. John 
and David sons of the old settler, Enos Flint, T. M. Reynolds, J. U. 
Graham, W. H. Lacy, O. C. Carter, Minnie Blake, Harry Hill, Joseph Hill, 
C. H. and L. P. Graham, Aaron Kincaid, Glenna Lacy, Omar Lacy, Geo. Hill, 
Paul Harris, Other Graham, Evelyn Utterback, Birl Fink, and G. W. Hill and 
perhaps others whose names we do not know or recall. Our community has 
furnished the three counties of Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers with 
county surveyors, John Graham while temporarily located in Greenbrier 
County prior to the Civil War acted as county surveyor of that county. 
Just after the Civil War he was elected county surveyor of Monroe County. 
At the present writing we have Mr. George Ballangee as county surveyor of 
Summers County. 

Our community has furnished a representative quota of the local officers 
of the county, including members of county court, sheriff, justice of the 
peace, members of school boards etc. As to those of our citizens who have 
gone out from among us and established themselves in other communities 
with a reasonable degree of success in various occupations we might 
mention the following: William Eades, son of Peter Eades, went, what was 
then called, "west", probably about the year 1840, and became first a 
pilot and later captain of some of the numerous steamboats that plied and 
waters of the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers. Steamboat navigation 
in those days by reason of the unknown sand bars and snags caused by 
sunken timbers was a hazardous business, and the pilot and captain who 
successfully steered clear of these obstructions were looked upon as men 
well skilled in their profession. It has been held by many citizens of our 
community that this Captain Eades was the same man who built the famous 
bridge across the Mississippi at St. Louis and also dredged out the mouth 
of that river so as to admit heavy sea-going vessels but recent 
investigation made for the purpose of this sketch reveals the fact that 
such a conclusion is incorrect. That honor belongs to Captain James B. 
Eades, who is believed to have been a cousin to Captain William Eades. 
James Newman Graham who migrated west about the year 1855 also became a 
famous steamboat pilot and followed that calling for quite a while and in 
later years settled in Huntington, W. Va., when that town was but a mere 
village and still resides there at a very advanced age. He was the eldest 
son of Lanty Graham. Others we might mention are O. T. Honaker, successful 
merchant and business man at Hinton and Sandstone, J. A. Graham business 
man of Hinton; John O. Ballangee progressive manufacturer of Huntington, 
John Burdette successful farmer of Red House, Putnam County; Frank Mann 
with the Kanawha Valley Bank at Charleston, J. U. Graham engaged in the 
real estate business at Charleston; Walter Honaker, car conductor, 
Huntington; L. H. Mann, merchant, Alderson; L. P. Graham, postmaster, 
Hinton; John W. Wallace, C.& 0. carpenter, Hinton, A.B.C. and G. W. 
Graham, lumber manufacturers, Sandstone; Dewey and Hobart Ballangee, 
Charleston; John W. Graham, real estate, Hinton; 0. H. Mann, Agent for 
Southern News Co., Bluefield; and 0. R. Graham, Charleston. 

Another honor of which the Clayton people feel proud is the fact that we 
have the oldest postmaster in point of service in the state of West 
Virginia if not in the entire United States, who is Mr. David G. 
Ballangee. Mr. Ballangee received his post office commission from 
Postmaster General Keys under the administration of President Hayes in 
1878 forty six years ago, and has satisfactorily discharged the duties of 
the office from that day to this, and it is the hope and wish of the 
patrons of the office that he may continue for many years yet to come. 

We would not think this sketch complete without mentioning the name of 
Volney Rollins who flourished as a music teacher, or in the language of 
that day, a "singing master", just after the close of the Civil War. 
Volney was a son of Barney Rollins and was reared among us and mastered 
the art of music and singing without a teacher. In addition to teaching 
singing schools in various communities he also held free singing 
entertainments somewhere in the neighborhood almost every Sunday, wherever 
a vacant house could be had and often times in the dwelling house of some 
home. Entering upon his useful career at a time when the young men and 
even those who were older had been separated from their families and 
friends for four long years, those who wore the blue as well as those who 
wore the gray, and who were now permitted to return and mingle with loved 
ones and help to re-establish and re-build the social fabric of a life, 
these singing entertainments were a God send to our community. Men and 
women came for miles to mingle their musical voices together singing the 
song of Zion and in doing so they forgot who wore the blue and who wore 
the gray and all stood on the same social ground. Never before or since 
within the recollection of the writer was there a time when the gaiety and 
the joy of the young people of our land rose to a higher plane than that 
period following the close of the war, and those singings conducted by 
Volney Rollins intensified that joyous feeling to that extent that it 
practically drowned out the bitter animosities of by gone days. Mr. 
Rollins left our community about the year 1870, settling on lower Loup 
Creek in Fayette County. He married, reared a family and became a preacher 
of the gospel. Whether at this time dead or living we do not know, but 
this we know that among the older portion of our community his name will 
ever be revered and honored. 

We cannot close this sketch without referring briefly to the origin of the 
name of our post office and community. In the year 1836, eighty-seven 
years ago a man of the name of Richard Clayton sailed from Cincinnati, 
Ohio in a balloon and landed on a sport of Keeney's Knob over looking our 
settlement. The anchor of his balloon was loosed in the Queen City at five 
o'clock p.m. and at 2:00 o'clock the same night his balloon caught in a 
tree on his descent after crossing the main top of the mountain. Mr. 
Clayton climbed down the tree and lay at its roots till morning. When 
morning dawned he climbed back up the mountain, so as to get a more 
commanding view of the surrounding country and to his surprise he 
discovered a river in the valley below and while he saw nothing but 
unbroken forest he reasoned that possibly there was a settlement along the 
river valley, so he made his way in that direction. After traveling some 
two miles he came to a cabin occupied by the name of Gill, they being very 
poor seemed to be unable or unwilling to give him any assistance so they 
conducted him northward about two miles to the home of Joseph Graham. With 
the assistance of the Graham family and perhaps others including the Gills 
they started in search of the balloon. The first days search was without 
success. On the second day the balloon was located in the tree (the writer 
has it from the mouth of John Gill when he was a very old man that some of 
his family found the balloon the first day but did not reveal it. When 
asked why he kept it a secret he replied that they wanted to see what "the 
result would be". It looks as if graft were at least thought of in those 
days). After climbing the tree and releasing the balloon it was let down 
by ropes and carried to the home of the Grahams. It is said the news of 
the balloonist spread rapidly and for the next day or two people came for 
miles to view this strange unheard of monster of the air. Many thought it 
impossible to make the trip from Cincinnati in nine hours, and condemned 
the whole story as a fake. A portion of the balloon was torn by being 
caught in the tree, and the excited populace who had gathered insisted 
that this be cut in to small pieces so that each might have a souvenir to 
carry home. Mr. Clayton soon secured the service of a wagon and team and 
hauled his balloon to Charleston, when he secured a steamboat passage to 
Cincinnati arriving safely at home after an absence of some ten days, his 
family and friends having no information about his whereabouts during his 
absence. Mr. Clayton on his balloon trip reported having crossed over the 
Kanawha Salt works, that being at the time the only industry that kept 
fires and lights by night. Soon after passing those lights he discovered 
that his craft was sinking and he consequently threw overboard some 
ballast he had for that purpose in order to lighten his load, and he also 
let down by a rope a dog he had with him, the balloon being thus 
lightened, rose far above the earth. Many years afterwards a rope was 
found in the forest of Cotton Mountain in Fayette County, supposed to be 
the rope by which the dog was let down from mid air to earth. As to what 
became of poor Fido tradition is silent. Mr. Clayton wrote an article in 
one of the Cincinnati papers giving a very minute description of his 
balloon trip, a copy of which he sent to Joseph Graham, and it was long 
kept as a memento in the family. Many years after this balloon incident 
John Graham while on a trip to the western states stopped at Cincinnati 
hunted up Mr. Clayton and was royally entertained in his home. We have 
been recently informed that a Mrs. McClung now living in Nicholas County 
has in her possession a piece of this ancient balloon which was cut from 
it while in the home of Graham. This cloth was silk and of course, a very 
strong texture. As previously stated our post office was established forty 
six years ago and was named Clayton in honor of the ancient balloonist. 




                     HISTORY OF FOREST HILL COMMUNITY
                      Prepared by George Cottle, Sr.

Location 
Forest Hill Community is situated on the waters of Bradshaw and Spruce 
Run. Starting at A. L. Campbell's, on Greenbrier River, three miles from 
Forest Hill and running to J. T. Campbell's, on a line from there 
including P. M. Garrison's; thence South West to and including W. L. 
Redmond's; thence North to and including C. G. Ramsey's; and thence 
Northeast by J. S. Canterberry's and including him to the starting point; 
it includes twenty-five square miles. It is inhabited by sixty-six 
families with a population of four hundred. 

Points of Interest 
One of the natural wonders of this community is situated on the farm of P. 
M. Foster, and is known as the "Seven Wonders". This is an immense rock in 
the shape of an inverted pyramid. It is about thirty feet tall, four by 
six feet at the base, and about twenty by thirty feet at the top. 
Tradition tells how it received its name. It is said that a man upon 
viewing this Wonder, wondered six times how it stood up and one time if it 
was supported by an oak which grew by the side of the rock. He said, "You 
are surely a "Seven Wonders". 

This rock is covered with names and dates. Some of them are more than a 
hundred years old. 

Another natural wonder of Forest Hill Community, is known as the "Devil's 
Den". This is situated on the line between J. H. Rogers and J. T. 
Canterberry's, and consists of a huge wash basin, writing desk, and a 
seat. This wonder is of sand stone formation. 

The Mound Builders 
We are led to believe by the evidence before us in the form of mounds, 
that the Mound Builders were the first inhabitants of this community. 

There is a well preserved mound on the farm of A. M. Hutchinson, about one 
and a half miles north of the post office. It is twenty to thirty feet 
higher than the surrounding bottom. This mound, I believe, is a burial 
mound. When a few years ago the writer in company with the later Dr. F. 
Kyle Vass opened a similar mound situated on the farm of E. D. Ferrell, 
one miles southeast of the post office of Forest Hill, we found a few 
stone implements of warfare, such as spear points, arrow heads, a stone 
hatchet, a pistol. And a number of bones which were so much decayed that 
we were unable to tell whether they were human bones or bones of animals. 

We don't believe that these mounds are the work of the Indians, as they 
are very much larger than any Indian graves we ever had the privilege of 
examining. 

On the bank of the Greenbrier River within the bounds of this community 
stands what appears to have been a Sacrifice Altar of some prehistoric 
race of man. This altar was built of stone and was about eight feet high 
and about fifteen feet in diameter, circular in form. This was partly 
pulled down by Calvin and Omer Harvey in the year 1900, but the dimensions 
can plainly be seen today. 

This altar is located about two hundred yards from the bank of the river 
and undoubtedly the stones were carried from the river, as it is situated 
on a bench by the mountain, on J. E. Milburn's farm just above the mouth 
of Little Wolf Creek. There are no rocks on this bench. This is just 
opposite the Ferrell farm on the Greenbrier River. 

The young men in pulling down this Sacrifice Altar, which is on their 
father's farm, though they would find a buried treasure as they told the 
author, whom they took to view their work, but their treasure consisted of 
charred wood and bones. As to the antiquity or the origin of the mound 
builds we leave that to the Archaeologist. We know from the evidence that 
they have left, that they were once inhabitants of our Community. 

Indians and Indian Traditions 
That the noble Red man once made his home in this community will not be 
denied by any one who has tilled the field and has seen the evidence in 
the arrow heads, spear points and tomahawks that strew our valleys and 
hills. 

On the banks of New River just above the mouth of Indian Creek there is a 
large rock standing alone and not connected with the cliffs, known as 
Indian Rock. On this rock are marked characters supposed to have been made 
by aboriginal inhabitants. No one knows the meaning of the characters. 
Near the end of this rock there is cut some kind of hieroglyphics in the 
shape and form of a turkey's foot. It is tradition in that region that the 
Indians had buried something of value there, and explorations have been 
made with a view to discovery; but nothing has ever been found to indicate 
what, if anything, was hidden at or near this ancient natural curiosity. 

The Indians are a remarkable race of people. Their contrasts of character 
and the make up of their mental characteristics are unfathomable, and 
sometimes very rare indeed. You can sometimes read of one of these savage 
people with human sympathy and instincts, but in the great number of 
cases, they are cruel and heartless. Their cruelty seems to have been 
greatly intensified by coming in contact with the white people from 
Europe. 

The Indian knew no mercy or pity. They were unknown words to him. He 
wished to see how much pain his captive would bear before he would cry for 
mercy. The cries of the captive at the stake was the sweetest music to 
him. We believe this was intensified by the treatment of whites to 
Indians, by such men as Jim Wiley, who cut a razor strop from the back of 
an Indian chief with as little qualm as out of the hide of an ox. 

Courtships, like marriages were short. If the squaw accepted the presents 
of the man, it was understood she agreed, and without further ceremony she 
went and joined him in his hut, not even notifying her people. The 
principals which were to govern their future conduct were well understood. 
He was to do the fighting and hunting while she did all the work. 

This community was a howling wilderness inhabited by the Indians before 
the coming of the whites. Our community was owned or controlled by the Six 
Nations, and as we cultivate the soil. We find evidence of their former 
sojourn here. We have no authentic history of their existence, but do have 
of their raids. 

The Indian's religion was one of his peculiar characteristics. He 
worshipped the evil spirit to appease his wrath. He believed in a 
hereafter or a "happy hunting ground" where the brave warrior with many 
scalps of his enemies would forever be happy and contented. When he died 
they buried all his possessions with him. If he owned a gun, dog, pipe, 
bow, and arrow, they were buried with him. He was placed with his head to 
the East, instead of the West as the whites bury their dead. The Indian 
thinks that the sun at setting possesses the night in the happy hunting 
ground of the departed brave. Just on the edge of this community is an 
Indian burial ground, it is among cliffs and rocks, but you can go under 
the cliffs on D. C. Vass's place near Marie, W. Va., and can find all 
kinds of broken pottery, which proves that Indian women have been buried 
there in large numbers, showing that there has been a large Indian 
settlement near. 

Near this Indian burial ground was a marked oak tree, having a picture of 
a turtle cut and burnt in it. The tree is gone now but the mark could 
plainly be seen just a few years ago. Three Shawnee Indians and two white 
men came here from Ohio in the year 1834 and dug an immense trench between 
this tree and another for a distance of about thirty feet and about eight 
or ten feet deep. This trench can be plainly seen today. These facts were 
told the author by his grandmother, who was raised near there and had the 
story from her parents who were witnesses of the event. 

Up on Greenbrier River, on J. W. Ferrell's land is the remains of a 
frontier fort on the bottom between the J. W. Ferrell place and the river. 
In 1913 J. W. Ferrell took the author and showed him the outlines of the 
fort, and in proof that it was built by the whites, he told me that his 
grandfather settled that place and cleared the land told him that the 
outlines of the fort were plainly marked out and from the pieces of dishes 
it looked to him as if it had been burned. He said you could find buttons 
and dishes there to this day. He said there were a number of graves up on 
the hill when his grandfather came there, but the graves are marked with 
rough stones and they are laid with the head to the West, and marked thus, 
so I am led to believe that we have a fort in our midst whose history is 
lost. I have searched all the historical works available and am not able 
to get any other evidence. I am planning to make some further examination 
of this old fort site. 

Indians Raids 
On October 19, 1763, we see a band of thirty Shawnee braves crossing New 
River at the Mouth of Indian Creek. They have discovered the foot-prints 
of a white man, who has been on the river hunting, they take the trail and 
ascend Indian Creek to the mouth of Bradshaw Run. They have on their "war 
paint" and are armed with bows and arrows with the exception of two who 
carry rifles. One we notice is too light in color for an Indian and we 
decide that he is a Frenchman, and he is one of the two who are carrying 
rifles, the other is the famous Cornstalk. After travelling up the Creek 
for about a mile they come to a small clearing, with a log cabin in the 
center. They hide in the thick woods until they see their victim coming to 
the spring, which is situated at the foot of the hill near where they are 
hidden, when the Frenchman recognizes the man as one of his old pals, whom 
he is very anxious to see. The man is warned by a noise, so the Indian 
shoots him to keep him from getting away, but the wound is not serious, 
though painful. The wounded man started to run toward the cabin, and the 
Indians after him, but instead of entering the cabin, he dashes by with 
the Indian after him. He was soon overtaken and knocked down and bound 
with withes. They traveled on up the little run for about two miles where 
they stopped to camp. Here they held a council and condemned their captive 
to death by burning at the stake, which sentence they executed the next 
morning. The man that they burned at the stake was Bradshaw, and the place 
of execution was on W. N. Allen's place near Glendale school house, where 
he was buried by scouts from Fort Young which was located within the 
present town of Covington, Va. 

This man Bradshaw was supposed to have been a pirate and to have buried an 
immense sum of gold at or near C. L. Lowe's place where he then lived. 
Bradshaw was an Englishman and settled on C. L. Lowe's place about the 
year 1758. He took up the first land title in this community. He was a 
free booter, is the report of tradition, and that he buried an immense 
amount of gold, but if he had gold buried it has never been found to the 
best of our knowledge. Bradshaw's title was a tomahawk right, or corn 
right. We have failed to find any record of a title from The British 
Crown. 

We had another Indian raid through this community in the autumn of 1767. 
This raid was against Cook Fort which was outside of this community, but 
was the only refuge for the few settlers in this and adjoining 
communities. The following is a story of Indian cunning and strategy that 
took place within Forest Hill Community. The settlers had been warned of 
the approach of the Indians by the scout or hunter Pitman. They had been 
housed up in the fort for several days without seeing or hearing anything 
of the savages, so one morning John Cook, a young man, wanted to go out to 
kill a wild turkey, as he said that he had heard gobbling for three or 
four days. He was warned again by the scout, that it wasn't safe to leave 
the fort for fear that the Indians were only waiting for just such a 
chance to take scalps. He said, "Who's afraid of Indians", and prepared to 
leave the fort before day break the next morning. He went but never 
returned. Still the turkey kept calling and the scout decided to find, if 
he could, what had become of John Cook, so instead of waiting to leave the 
fort in the morning as cook had done he left the fort just after dark, and 
crossing the creek he made a detour around the place where the turkey made 
a habit of calling, the place where Cook had gone to kill the turkey. Just 
at daylight the next morning he heard a noise as he cautiously raised his 
head from under the log where he had spent the night, to see an Indian 
making his way to a log just a little below him on the side of the hill. 
As it wasn't light enough for accurate shooting, the scout decided to 
watch and see what the cunning savage was up to. The savage crawled into a 
patch of thick weeds by the side of a log, put his rifle over the log, and 
began to call like a turkey. The scout was able to solve the mystery as to 
the fate of John Cook. Deciding the time for him to act was at hand, he 
cautiously raised to his knees and took quick aim and shot the savage in 
the back of the head killing him instantly, he then proceeded to look for 
the body of Cook, whose scalp he saw hanging to the belt the Indian wore. 
He soon found the body hidden in some leaves, and then returned very 
cautiously to fort, as he did not know how many savages were near him in 
the woods. It was later learned that the Indian killed by Pitman was a 
noted war chief. The savages retired from the fort discouraged by the loss 
of their leader and the men from the fort brought in the body of Cook and 
buried it near the fort. This fort was on the farm of Squire James Keatley 
near the post office of Indian Mills, or just above the Squire's on the 
Creek. 

The last Indian raid in this community was in 1783, this time the Indians 
came as usual up New River, Indian Creek, and Bradshaw Run to the farm now 
owned by C. D. Bolton, then the home of William Brown, who lived just 
across the road from the present site of O. D. Bolton's cattle scales, 
where you can still see the mound of earth where the cabin stood. This 
cabin was burned by Indians who came to the house in the absence of the 
men folks and set fire to the flax in the roof and burned the house. The 
old lady Brown was a very fleshy woman and when the Indians came to the 
house and found her alone and the men gone then set fire to the house and 
carried her away. The men came home and found the house burning and 
followed the Indians to Paint Creek at an old Indian Camp. They were 
preparing to burn Mrs. Brown at the stake, as she was so fleshy they 
decided not to be bothered with her any longer. The Indians had everything 
ready for the bonfire. When the men fired on the Indians they rescued her. 
These men were the Farley scouts from Fort Culbertson. Mrs. Brown was the 
grandmother of Allen F. Brown of Marie, W. Va. 

There was one Indian battle on the edge of this community which I think 
should be given here in connection with Indian raids. Captain Paul 
immediately following the last raid mentioned began a pursuit of the 
Indians with twenty men from Fort Young, passing out at the head of 
Dunlap's Creek, descending Indian Creek and New River to Piney River, 
without making any discovery of the enemy. On Indian Creek they met Pitman 
who had been running all the day and the night before to warn the garrison 
at Fort Young, Covington, Va., of the approach of the Indians. Pitman 
joined in the pursuit of the party which had killed Carpenter; but the 
Indians apprehending that they would be followed had escaped to Ohio by 
the way of Greenbrier and Kanawha Rivers. As Captain Paul and his men were 
returning they accidently met with the other party of Indians, which had 
been to Catawba and committed some depredations and murders there. They 
were discovered about midnight, encamped on the north bank of New River at 
the Mouth of Indian Creek opposite the Island. Excepting some few who were 
watching three prisoners, whom they had taken at Catawba, and who were 
sitting in the midst of them, they were lying around a small fire wrapped 
in skins and blankets. Paul not knowing that there were captives among 
them fired into their midst, killing three Indians and wounding several 
others, one of whom drowned himself to preserve his scalp. The rest of the 
party fled hastily down the river and escaped. In an instant after the 
firing, Paul and his men rushed forward to secure the wounded and prevent 
further escapes. One of the foremost of his party seeing, as he supposed, 
a squaw sitting composedly awaiting the results; raised his tomahawk and 
just as it was descending Captain Paul three himself between the assailant 
and his victim receiving the blow on his arm, exclaimed "It is a shame to 
hurt a woman, even a squaw".Recognizing the voice of Captain Paul, the 
woman named him. She was a Mrs. Katherine Gumm, an English woman who had 
come to the country some years before; and who previous to marriage, had 
lived in the family of Captain Paul's father-in-law, where she had become 
acquainted with him. She had been taken captive by the Indians on the 
Catawba a few days before, when her husband and two only children were 
killed by them. When questioned why she had not cried out or otherwise 
made known that she was a white prisoner, she replied, "I had as soon been 
killed as not, My husband is murdered, my children are slain, my parents 
are dead and I have not a relative in America. Everything dear to me here 
is gone, I have no wishes, no hopes, no fears, I would not have risen to 
my feet to save my life". 

When Captain Paul came on the enemy's camp he silently posted his men in 
an advantageous situation for doing execution and made arrangements for a 
simultaneous fire. To render this the more deadly and efficient, they 
dropped on one knee and were preparing to take deliberate aim when one of 
them (John McCollan) called to his comrades, "Pull steady and send them 
all to hell". This ill timed expression of anxious caution, gave the enemy 
a moments warning of their danger and is the reason why greater execution 
was not done. 

The Indians had left all their guns, blankets and plunder; these together 
with the three white captives were taken by Captain Paul to Fort 
Dinwiddie, (Staunton, Va.). This raid and battle took place in the fall of 
1764 according to Captain Paul's letters and was the same party discovered 
by Swope, Pack, and Pitman. This seemed to be a favorite camping place for 
Indians according to a letter written by Captain William Christian at 
Roanoke, Va., October 19, I763 as follows: "Being joined by Captain 
Hickenbotham with twenty-five of the Amherst militia we marched on Tuesday 
last, to Vinston's Meadows where our scouts informed us that they had 
discovered a party of Indiana about three miles off. Night coming on 
prevented our meeting them, and next day, being rainy made it difficult to 
follow their tracks. As they were on their return, Captain Hickenbotham 
marched to join Captain Ingles down New River, I with 19 men and my 
ensigns took a different route in quest of them. We marched next day on 
their tracks until two hours before sunset when we heard some guns and 
soon afterwards discovered three large fires, which appeared to be on the 
bank of Turkey Creek where it empties into New River. Upon this we 
immediately advanced and found they were on an island. Being within gun 
shot we fired on them and loading again we forded the Creek. The Indians 
after killing Joseph Kimberlain, a prisoner they had with them made but a 
slight resistance and ran off. We found one Indian killed on the spot, and 
at a little distance, four blankets shot through and very bloody. We took 
all their bundles, four guns, eight tomahawks and two mares. They had 
several other horses, which being frightened by the firing ran off and 
were lost. The party consisted of upwards of twenty Indians. By the tracks 
of blood, we imagined several of them were wounded." This affair occured 
October 12, 1763. 

Ratliffe Mystery 
During the building of the Big Bend tunnel in 1872 a peddler by the name 
of Ratliffe disappeared and was never heard of after. He had on his person 
$375.00 and left the tunnel accompanied by Harry Gill, who lived in the 
mountains back of Bradshaw's Run in Forest Hill District. Mr. Henry 
Milburn saw the peddler and Gill cross the Greenbrier River near his place 
and they went on in the direction of Gill's. That night a Mr. Lowe who 
lived in the neighborhood heard the cries of distress of some one 
appealing for help. At first he thought the cries came from his father's, 
and he ran in that direction on Bradshaw's Run, but discovered that the 
trouble was in the mountains. The cries ceased and later in the night a 
great fire, was seen in the direction of Gill's. The next day it was 
learned that Gill's stable had burned during the night, claimed to be 
accidental. The peddler was never seen or heard of afterwards, and no 
evidence could be found of his except a piece of his trousers was found in 
a hollow hickory tree in the neighborhood of where the stable was burned, 
with a hole near the waistband, indicating and appearing to have been made 
by a bullet. No arrests were made, as no evidence could be found for 
certain that Ratliffe was dead. 

A few years ago this same Harry Gill died and during his last illness the 
neighbors ame in to attend him and administer to his wants, and during 
this last illness he seemed to be in great despair, although perfectly 
sane in mind, and he would cry out, "There is Ratliffe! Take him away!" 
Finally he secured a pair of scissors and demanded to know if Ratliffe was 
gone. He kept hold of this weapon until his death. People were present at 
his death who were not in the state at the time of the disappearance of 
the peddler, and had never heard of him or of the circumstances. Gill 
lived to be an old man, and was in later years elected constable. Whether 
Ratliffe was killed was never known. The foregoing is taken from Judge 
Miller's History of Summers County. 

BIOGRAPHY OF THE FAMILIES OF FOREST HILL COMMUNITY 

Isaac Tincher's Family 
Isaac Tincher was one of the first settlers of this community. He settled 
near Bradshaw's Run on the C. D. Bolton farm, just below the Fleshman 
road, he settled here early in 1835. He married a Kincaid. They had the 
following children, Della, Flora, and E. Ann, the former two died before 
they were grown. E. Ann married Theodore R. Webb and to this union was 
born the following children, O. L., E. L., Gertrude, Lilly, and Mattie. O. 
L. Webb married a Lowry and resides at Forest Hill. He has been a very 
successful merchant in Beckley, Hinton and Princeton, but is now a farmer. 
E. L. Webb married a sister to O. L. Webb's wife and is an enterprising 
farmer of Buck, W. Va. Lilly married S. T. Lowry and resides at Rocky Camp 
in Monroe County. Gertrude married N. P. Stover, but she died a few years 
ago leaving one son Lacy Stover residing with his aunt at Rock Camp, 
Monroe County, W. Va. Mattie married J. H. Rogers and resides on the old 
home place. They have two children Marcus and Eveline. Theodore Webb died 
on March 19, 1921, but his widow is still living at the old home place 
with her youngest daughter. 

Saunders' Family 
Wattie Saunders came to this community from Bedford County, Virginia, 
about 1825 and settled on the land now owned by G. E. Cottle and J. W. 
Lilly's heirs, on top of the mountain at what is called the Zeddock 
orchard. He married a Martin and reared the following children, Flemming, 
Martha Rice, Robert W., and Jackson P. Flemming married Rhoda Woodrum and 
reared one child a daughter who married John Shumaker, Flemming and Rhoda 
are dead. Shumaker was a blacksmith at this place, but moved away several 
years ago. 

Jackson P. Saunders 
Jackson P. Saunders, son of Wattie Saunders, was born February 9, 1832, 
was married to Elizabeth Garton in the fifties and died on February 28, 
1910. He was a member of Colonel Edgar's Battalion until he was paralyzed 
in 1863 which made him a cripple for life. He was a Christian gentleman 
and he reared the following children, Emily E., Mildred B., P. J., O. E., 
and Loue. Emily E. married John J. Cottle in October, 1880 and reared the 
following children, G. E. , Ada, and Rose. Emily died April 2, 1923. 
Mildred married L. A. Ellison and reared the following children, W. F., L. 
M., P. J., E. D., and Fred. Penbrook Saunders married Ermma Barnette and 
resides in Pittsburgh, Pa. O. E. Saunders resides with his niece Rosa E. 
Lilly. Loue Saunders married J. O. Perdue in 1890 and now resides on the 
place settled by Phillip Vass. She has the following children, Jesse L., 
Homer, Willie, Vennie, Jewel, and Norville. Elizabeth M. Saunders wife of 
Jackson Saunders died November 21, 1921. The majority of the descendants 
are still living in this community. 

"Captain Robert W. Saunders"
Captain Robert W. Saunders was born June 8, 1828 in Bedford County, 
Virginia, and was of English descent. He died on October 20, 1904. Early 
in life he located in the territory of Forest Hill District. His first 
wife was Lina Miller, by whom he raised three children, Lewis, Rebecca, 
and Mable. All are dead, dying from diptheria during the war. The second 
wife was Sarah E. Meadows, daughter of Robert Meadows who lived near the 
old church on Greenbrier River. Their children were Edward Lee, Josephine, 
who married A. A. McDowell, A. H. and C. E. Saunders. His third wife was 
Sallie A. Harvey, a daughter of Allen L. Harvey. Robert W. Saunders was a 
Captain during the Civil War in the Confederate service. His sons are 
prominent farmers of this community. Captain Saunders was a man of 
property, and one of the founders of the county. 

Webb Family 
Martha Rice married Warnie H. Webb to which union was born the following 
children, William, Elvira, Elverton, Theodore, Thomas, George, Malvelia, 
Eliza, and Giles. William was a confederate soldier belonging to Colonel 
Edgar Battalion. He was captured at the battle of Cold Harbor near 
Richmond, Virginia, and was taken as a captive of Elmira, N. Y., where he 
died of typhoid fever. Elvira married a Lively and left here a number of 
years ago. Elverton married a Smith and resides at Willow Bond, Monroe 
County, W. Va. He died in 1923. Theodore's history is given elsewhere in 
this History. Thomas Webb married a Cardon, a sister of I. G. and J. M., 
to this union was reared one child, a daughter who married, A. L. Campbell 
one of the most successful farmers of this community. Thomas Webb and wife 
have been dead a number of years and are buried at Greenbrier Springs. 
George Webb left here for the West just after the Civil War and when last 
heard of, about fifty years ago, was in Noaks County, Missouri. Eliza 
married a man by the name of Gore of Bramwell, W. Va., who has been dead a 
number of years. Malvelia Webb married a Redmond and moved to Texas where 
he made his home. He has been dead for several years. Giles Webb was never 
married but died of tuberculosis and is buried a the M. E. Church at 
Forest Hill by the side of his father and mother. 

Michael Family 
Allen Michael married a Smith and became one of the early settlers of this 
community settling on the head waters of Spruce Run on the land now owned 
by S. J. Michael. Allen Michael reared the following children, Mary Anne, 
Steward, Luncinda, and Elija. Mary Anne is a very estimable maiden lady 
who is still living on the old home place with her nephew S. J. Michael. 
Steward Michael married an Allen and reared the following children, John, 
S. J. Henry, and Rebecca. John, son of Steward, married a Snodgrass and 
resides in Mercer County. S. J. Michael married Janie Allen and reared the 
following children, Blasnche who married C. Shumate and lives near Bozoo, 
W. Va.; Hester who married C. Akers and resides near Mt. Hope, W. Va.; F. 
M. who married a daughter of D. B. Light and is a member of the mercantile 
firm of Michael Brothers of Forest Hill; W. E. who married a daughter of 
J. W. Ferrell and is a member of the firm of Michael Brothers of Forest 
Hill; Maude who married D. B. Lowe an enterprising farmer of the 
community; Pansy who married a Harvey of Wykle, W. Va.; and Clarice who 
married Carl Martin a member of the firm of Martin and Son of red Sulphur 
Springs, General Merchants. Henry Michael a son of Allen's married a Lilly 
for his first wife and upon her death married for his second wife a 
Stiller of Hinton. He is an employee of the C & O R. R. and has been for a 
number of years. 

Woodrum Family 
Lucinda daughter of Allen Michael married W. C. Woodrum a son of one of 
the first settlers of our community and reared the following children, 
Henry, Judson, Walter, Lonnie, Linda, Jennie, Jamie, and William. Henry 
and Walter reside with their widowed mother on the old home place neither 
being married to date. Judson, first married Zora Seldomridge and upon her 
death he married again. He is an employee at the C & O shops at Hinton, W. 
Va. Lonnie married David Iddings and resides near Marie, W. Va. Lindia 
married Will Allen and resided near Clayton until her death a few years 
ago. Jennie married Oat Meadows and resided near Greenbrier Springs until 
her death a few years ago. James married as his first wife a Bowyer, who 
reared the following children, Lomer, who has been dead for several years; 
Annie who married Geo. Shanks, a baggage man on the C. & O. , and is 
located at Huntington, W. Va.; Edgar who married Jessie Perdue, but after 
a short married life secumbed to the great white plague; and Minnie who 
married W. F. Ellison and resides at Bellepoint where her husband has a 
position with the C. & O. R. R. Co. James Woodrum upon the death of his 
first wife married Collie Hoback and resided near New Hope Church until 
his death a few years ago. Will Woodrum married a Hudson but passed to the 
great beyond some ten or fifteen years ago. 

Cottle Family 
George Cottle was born in Highland Scotland about the year 1795 and came 
to Virginia in 1834 and started overland from Williamsburg to settle West 
of the Alleghany Mountains. He brought his household goods in an ox wagon, 
and his wife and two children rode horse back, Harvey the son rode behind 
his mother for the distance, although only six or seven years old, but he 
was paralyzed at the end of the journey from the hips down and was never 
able to walk after that. His legs dwindled away until they were not much 
larger than an infant's legs. George Cottle settled on the C. D. Bolton 
place, just this side of the Ford Hollow and just above the road. There 
his first wife died who was also Scotch Irish. She died about the year 
1838 and is buried in the Brown graveyard just across the road from where 
they lived. After the death of his first wife he married a Lowe, a sister 
of aleck Lowe's and resided in this community until '68 or '69 when he 
moved to Putnam County, W. Va. He reared the following children by his 
first wife, Harvey and Susan. Harvey Cottle left this community with his 
father but settled at Raleigh Court House, Beckley, W. Va. Here he was 
married twice. After the death of his first wife he married a Croftree. He 
ran a shoe shop here for years. He had no children of his own but we have 
been informed that he reared J. H. Peters, who is one of the leading 
educators of Southern, W. Va. Susan Cottle married a Sarver and moved from 
this community to Giles County, Virginia. 

George Cottle reared the following children by his second wife, Madison, 
Wash, John, J. S., James, Thomas, Giles, and Martha. Madison Cottle 
married Bynthia Lewis and lived for several years on the N. M. Lowry farm, 
just below the old Cottle school house. He moved away from here a number 
of years ago, to Alderson, W. Va., where he was killed by a C. & O. train. 
He reared the following children, Lewis, James, William, Becky, Ellen, 
Martha, and Mary. Lewis Cottle left here when he was first grown and 
settled in Texas but returned to this county and died about twenty years 
ago and is buried at the Fairview Baptist Church at this place. James 
Cottle became a C. & O. conductor and was killed by passenger train No. 4 
at Thurmond in 1903. He is also buried at Forest Hill by his mother and 
brother. He left a widow who was Jennie Hudson before their marriage. 
William Cottle married a Garten and is an old C. & O. engineer. He resides 
in Hinton. The family of Madison have all left the community. Wash Cottle 
son o f George Cottle Sr., married a Lowe and entered the confederate 
service in Colonel Edgar's Battalion. He was killed at the Dry Creek fight 
in 1862 and is buried on the battle field. He had no children. His widow 
is buried in the Shanklin grave yard on the Vina Bolton farm. John J. 
Cottle married a Wood and reared one child, John J. Jr. He also was a 
member of Colonel Edgar's Battalion and was in the battle of Dry Creek, 
but just after the battle he took typhoid and diptheria from the effects 
of which he died in the fall 1862. His son John J. Jr., was reared by 
Robert Wood on top of New River mountain overlooking Crump's Bottom and 
Fort Culbertson, as also was the author born on New River Hills on the 
Mercer County side on June 24, 1881, but has resided in this community 
most all of the time since he was four years old and in which community he 
has taught since the fall of 1901. He served as Justice of Peace for ten 
years. In 1902 he was united in marriage to Leona L. Lilly who died on 
October 3, 1917. He was married in the fall of 1921 to Faye Allen. James 
Cottle, son of Geo. Cottle Jr., left here with his parents and went to 
Putnam County but later went to Paint Creek in Raleigh County where he 
married a Stover. He reared a family and lived on Maple Fork, where he 
died about eight years ago. Giles Cottle son of George Cottle Sr., went to 
Fayette County where he married and reared a family. He is still living to 
the best of our knowledge, but we understand he has lost his sight. 
Martha, daughter of George Cottle Sr., married Mose Taylor and first 
settled the Lewis Simms place now the Everett Simm's Place. 

Crawford Family 
Thomas Crawford was a native of Monroe County, born near Lindside, but 
moved from that country long ago and settled near the Greenbrier River in 
the Dog Trot community. He was a man of worth and good citizen. He left 
the following children, now residents and citizens of Forest Hill 
District. Henry Crawford, the oldest son, is one of the enterprising 
farmers of Forest Hill. He married Eliza McNeer, a daughter of richard 
McNeer. A. T. Crawford another son, married Laura Boude, a daughter of 
Samuel K. Boude, and sister of Walter H. Boude, ex-clerk of the circuit 
court. J. Walter, another son married a daughter of William Redmond of 
near Indian Mills. J. Walter Crawford was a prominent minister in the 
Missionary Baptist Church. He was an invalid for a number of years. He was 
patient in his suffering, which was closed by his death May 27, 1916. 
Another son, John W. married Lucy Bumgardner and resides at the old home 
place. He also left one daughter, who married Charles Lively of Monroe 
County. There are no better citizens than these Crawfords of Forest Hill. 

Hutchison Family 
The Hutchison family is a family of the oldest settlers of Forest Hill 
District, and consisted of two brothers, who settled in that district many 
years ago, and were the sons of Jacob Hutchison. James A. and John Maston. 
James A. was a Missionary Baptist, while John M. was very prominent in the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, both brethern being active in church affairs, 
and were consistent Christian pioneers. James A. was known since the war, 
as Major Jim Hutchison, having been a major in the Virginia Militia before 
the war. After the war he was township treasurer of the school fund. They 
were born in Forest Hill district in what was then Monroe County, their 
father moving from Augusta County and settling in Forest Hill many years 
before the war. Major James A. Hutchison left surviving him Alonza M., 
Wellington, Lewis, J. E., and T. M. A. M. Hutchison was for eight years 
assistant assessor of Summers County, filling one term as deputy for John 
Lilly; the others as deputy for W. C. Dobbins. He was also like his 
father, a consistent Christian of the Missionary Baptist denomination, and 
has filled the position of moderator for the Greenbrier Association for a 
number of years. Wellington was a farmer near Forest Hill, but is now 
residing with his son E. O. Hutchison of Hinton. The last Lewis Hutchison 
was a farmer of near Indian Mills. J. E. is a prominent minister in the 
Missionary Baptist church. The late T. M. Hutchison was postmaster and 
merchant at Forest Hiull until a short time before his death which 
occurred in February 1919. James A. Hutchison also left four daughters, 
Eliza A. and Mildred J., who resided at the old home until their death. 
Mary C., who married William Gillispie, resided at Talcott until her 
death. Louisa A. married William A. Goode of Forest Hill district. John M. 
the other brother, left two sons, James A. and Richard A. who both 
emigrated to Jackson, Ohio where they resided until their death. He also 
left four daughters. Josie, who married M. A. Wikel, Caroline who married 
James M. Allen, Sarah who married Wilbur R. Ramsey, and Tillie, who 
married John Wykle. Josie had the following children, John, James, and 
Thomas. They are all non-residents of this community. The mother of the 
foregoing children died the fall of 1889. Caroline left the following 
children, J. F., G. W., W. N., J. A., Jannie, Sallie, Mattie, Emma, and 
Mackie. Sarah left the following children, B. M., Ramsey of Thurmond, W. 
Va., Eliza Watson of Buck, W. Va. Tillie has the following children, 
Evert, Myrtle, Chester, Amy, John and Essie. She resides near Buck, W. Va. 

Uriah Garten Family 
Uriah Garten, son of Griffith and Hannah Garten was born on April 128, 
1787 and married Lydia Carper on November 21, 1816. Lydia Carper was a 
daughter of Isaac and Susannah Carper, who was born on March 31, 1798. 
Uriah Garten settled in Spice Hollow in 1795 on the place owned by the E. 
P. Davidson heirs and built the old log house which is still standing and 
which is undoubtably the oldest building in the community. The Davidson 
heirs have in their possession a deed or land grant from governor Brooke 
of Virginia written on sheepskin dated 1795. Uriah Garten died on October 
18, 1866 while reading his Bible, and I have the Bible now laying by my 
side while I write this. The Bible bears date of 1486. It seems to have 
been in the family for several generations. Uriah Garten is buried at 
Greenville, W. Va. 

He was an ardent Methodist and a devoted Christian, one of the founders of 
Methodism in this community. His home was a stopping place for ministers 
in that day of the traveling circuit riders. He was a great hunter and 
trapper in his day. He used to go down in the glade country in Raleigh 
County to hunt. He would go out and build a blind up, out of reach of the 
wolves and bait them. He used asafoetida to rub on his shoes, so the 
wolves would track him to his bait. He spent many a night up in a tree 
killing wolves. 

He reared the following children, Elijah, Griffia, Caleb, Elizabeth M., 
Mary J. Nancy J., Agnes A., and Lydia D. 

Griffith Garten left the community for California in 1848 and was never 
heard from by his friends from that day to this. They never knew whether 
he reached his destination or not. 

Elijah Garten married Jane Evans and settled in Spice Hollow on part of 
the old home place where he reared the following children: J. W., Lewis, 
Elmer, Anne, and Bettie. J. W. and Lewis are enterprising farmers of 
Marie. Elmer is a C. & O. engineer. Anne married Sam Garrison and resides 
at Hinton. Bettie married William Cottle of Hinton. Caleb Garten, son of 
Uriah married a Roloson and reared one son, Uriah of Roles Chapel, who 
married a Carper and reared the following children: Willie, Walter, Rosa, 
Johnny, Frank. The three last named died with typhoid fever. 

J. W. Garten, son of Caleb married for his last wife E. P. Davidson's 
widow and resides at the old Uriah Garten homestead. Elijah Garten son of 
Caleb is a Baptist minister and resides at Tempa, W. Va. The other 
children of Caleb were Henry, Bud, and one girl. 

Elizabeth M. Garten daughter of Uriah was born May 5, 1834 and died 
November 21, 1901. She married Jackson P. Saunders. 

Mary J. Garten daughter of Uriah was married to Stephen Davidson and 
reared one son, E. P. Davidson, whose history will be found with Davidson 
family history. 

Lydia D. Garten daughter of Uriah married Phillip Vass on September 5, 
1855. Her history will be found under the title of Vass. 

Agnes Garten, daughter of Uriah was never married and lived at the old 
home place with her sister until death claimed her. 

Nancy J. Garten, daugher of Uriah was never married and passed to the 
great beyond many years ago. 

Charles Garten, Sr.
Charles Garten, Sr., was born on Wolf Creek near the present postoffice of 
Buck, then Monroe County, on April 5, 1818. He was a son of Charles Garten 
of near Greenville, Monroe County, who removed to Wolf Creek about 1810. 
The father of the subject of this sketch died when the boy was but nine 
years old, and his mother died when he was fourteen years old. He worked 
for a number of years on the farm of Isaac Carden, which is the farm owned 
by Judge Miller, at the low price of seven dollars per month. In December, 
1844, he married Miss Roda Woodrum, the daughter of John Woodrum, who 
also9 lived on Wolf Creek, a mile above the present postoffice of Buck. He 
settled on a farm on the mountain a mile and a half from where he was 
born, and on which plantation he resided until his death. He was the 
father of seven children. Mrs. D. S. Thompson, Mrs. Oliver Scott, Mrs. H. 
A. Bolton, Mrs. Vina Bolton, Charles Garten, Jack Garten, and John R. 
Garten. All are dead except Mrs. Vina Bolton, Charles W. Garten, and John 
R. Garten. 

John R. Garten married Ella Steel and reared the following children: 
Clyde, Grace, and Nora. Clyde married a Thompson girl of Oak Vale. He now 
resides at Princeton. Grace married a Clyburn. She resides at Washington, 
D. C. Nora married Dr. D. M. Ryan, a very prominent doctor who resides in 
Hinton. John R. Garten is a very prominent farmer and cattle raiser of 
Forest Hill. 

Mr. Garten was a man of sterling character and has been a member of the 
Missionary Baptist Church and one of its chief supports and officials for 
many years. He was always a Democrat in political faith and followed the 
leader of that great party through all of its vicissitudes. By his good 
business sense and management he has accumulated a comfortable fortune, 
which at this time he has largely distributed among his children, giving 
to each a comfortable home. Mrs. Garten resides in the neighborhood of 
Pollard survey of 2,500 acres, of which he was the owner of a considerable 
portion. Mr. Garten started a very poor boy, carried oats on his back to 
Red Sulphur Springs and sold them to get a start and to prevent the 
constable from levying on his horse, of which he had only one. He worked 
himself and paid off his early debts and decided not to make any more and 
lived up to his resolution, having no educational advantages not being 
able to read or write, although he was a successful business man. 

Charles W. Garten emigrated a few years ago to Tennessee, where he now 
resides. 

Davidson Family 
Stephen Davidson was born on February 5, 1832 and died June 20, 1921. He 
was born and reared near Elmira, N. Y., came to Mohler's Mills, (Nitro, W. 
Va.) And went to work for the Deemings and continued with them until the 
Civil War had begun, he then enlisted in Company F 22nd Inf. And became 
color bearer which position he held until the surrender of General Lee. He 
was at Winchester on Cedar Creek, New Market, and the battles around 
Richmond. He was a brave soldier, a devout Christian and a fine citizen. 
While encamped on the E. D. Ferrel place just this side of the Uriah 
Garten home, he met and courted his wife, whom he married after a brief 
courtship of six weeks, and reared one sone, E. P. Davidson who was born 
November 22, 1869 and died March 20, 1910. He married Ella Hedrick and 
reared the following children: Clarence, G. E., James, Chessie, and 
William, who reside with their mother at the old home place. 

Vass Family 
Phillip Vass was of Spanish descent. He married Lydia Garten on September 
5, 1855 and to this union were born the following children: Cary N., 
Jennie M., Louisa A., D. J., Willie D., and Rosetta E. 
Phillip Vass died on June 30, 1890 at Hinton where he had moved from this 
community. He was a carpenter by trade and a fine gentleman. 

Cary N. Vass married Mosby Light and reared the following children: F. 
Kyle, E. J., Lola, Chessie, Vennice, and D. C. Cary N. Vass served a 
number of years as Justice of Peace and is now a member of the County 
Court. He is a successful farmer and for a number of years was a member of 
the firm of W. A. Barger and Company, of Marie, W. Va. Upon the death of 
his first wife which occurred in March 1905, he married May Belcher and 
has the following children: Mosby and Martha. 

Dr. F. Kyle Vass was born July 5, 1878 and died June 4, 1923. He graduated 
at The Maryland Medical College at Baltimore Md., and he stood at the head 
of his class in College, also at the top of his profession in actual 
service to his country. He offered his service to his country in the World 
War and was accepted and entered with rank of Lieutenant of the Medical 
Corps. He served at Camp Humphries, Virginia, and at Camp Ponta Munson 
Brist, France. He came back to Camp Dix, New York, there he was given an 
honorable discharge in the fall of 1919. He was a gentleman of the highest 
type, a true friend, a loving father and husband. He married a daughter, 
Alline. Dr. Vass was an authority on History of Indians and their relics 
of which he had a fine collection. He was of an artistic temperament and 
had his office decorated with birds nests and Indian relics which were 
tastefully arranged. He brought with him many souvenirs from the battle 
fields of France. His death was a calamity not only to his friends but to 
the general public. He was located at Greenville, Monroe County, at his 
death, but his remains were brought to Forest Hill on June 7, 1923 and 
laid to rest in the family plot by the Masonic Lodges of Greenville and 
Talcott, which was witnessed by a large crowd of people. "He is gone but 
not forgotten." 

E. J. Vass, son of C. N. Vass was born June 1880. He married a Maddy and 
has the following daughters: Opal and Noka. E. J. Vass is the popular and 
enterprising merchant of Marie, W. Va. 

Lola Vass, daughter of C. N. Vass married O. E. Miller and resides in the 
city of Hinton, and has one daughter, Christine. 

Chessie Vass, daughter of C. N. Vass married Carl C. Goode who was killed 
in a R. R. wreck in December 1910 on the N. & W. R. R. where he had a 
position as R. R. mail clerk. After his death she married Cardie Ferrel. 
They have the following children: Maxine, who is dead, Helen, and one 
daughter, Bernice, by her first husband. 

Vennice Vass, daughter of C. N. Vass married S. R. Dunn who died of 
typhoid fever. They have three sons, Cary Louis, Carryington, and Donald. 

Jennie M. daughter of Phillip Vass married I. G. Young and moved to 
Hinton, where Young died. She then moved to Cincinnati. 

Louisa A., daughter of Phillip Vass married Walter A. Barger, son of 
William Barger, and moved to Hinton, W. Va. They moved to Cincinnati 
fifteen years ago where Louisa died. 

Rosetta E., daughter of Phillip Vass married C. C. Cook and settled in 
Hinton where both died. 

Dosy J., son of Phillip Vass was never married and died in Hinton a number 
of years ago. 

Willie D., daughter of Phillip Vass married a Brandyburg and resides in 
Cincinnati. 

Redmond Family 
Robert Redmond came from Virginia to West Virginia about sixty-six years 
ago and settled on Crump's Bottom on New River, there he remained a few 
years, he then moved to the farm now owned by C. L. Lowe. He reared six 
girls and five sons and remained there till the fall of 1877 and then 
moved to Texas. All his children accompanied him, except W. L. Redmond and 
two sisters. Robert Redmond died in Texas about 1892 or 1893. 
W. L. Redmond, was born in Virginia near where Bedford City now is. He 
came to West Virginia when he was about twelve years old and has lived 
here ever since in this community. He married Adaline Keatley in 1871 and 
bought twenty-two acres in the woods. He claimed a small plot of land and 
built a log cabin in which he went to house-keeping. This is in a few 
steps of where he still lives. He reared ten children, five boys and five 
girls, all of which are still living, the youngest being twenty-eight 
years old. The children are as follows: W. B., R. W., Chas., John, J. V., 
Minnie, Della, Etta, Mattie, and Pearl. 

W. L. Redmond was a Confederate soldier, serving throughout the war with 
the 17th Va. Cavalry. He is one of the farmers who bought and paid for 
their land by the sale of tobacco. He started with twenty-two acres, but 
now owns about three hundred acres. He is a citizen of sterling character. 

W. B., son of W. L. Redmond married J. W. Allen's daughter, and reared the 
following children: Willie, Katherine, and Allen. He is the popular 
merchant of Indian Mills. He is also a teacher of fine ability. He has 
served one term as office clerk for the county assessor of Summers County. 

R. W. son of W. L. Redmond married an Allen and resides with his father. 
He has one child. 

J. V., son of W. L. Redmond married a Noble and resides in this community. 

Minnie, daughter of W. L. Redmond, who married as her first husband the 
Rev. J. Walter Crawford who died in 1916. She married W. M. Scott in the 
summer of 1922. She has been one of our successful teachers of this 
community. 

Della, daughter of W. L. Redmond, married Robert Lowe who was one of the 
successful merchants of Indian Mills. She lives now in Beckley where her 
only son holds a position as an electrical engineer. 

Etta, daughter of W. L. Redmond, married Press Pauley and now resides at 
Yeager, W. Va. 

Mattie, daughter of W. L. Redmond, is a graduate of the Roanoke Business 
College. She now holds a position with Wet Virginia Board of Control. She 
is unmarried. 

Pearl, daughter of W. L. Redmond, married a Basham and resides in 
Huntington. She is a graduate of the Concord Normal School. 

Scott Family 
William Mason Scott who first settled in America came here from Ireland. 
He crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel which took six months to 
cross. He landed in Virginia in 1785 and came to Alleghany County, where 
the city of Covington now stands and purchased the farm upon which Fort 
Young then stood. There his son W. M. Scott, the second was born as well 
as W. M. Scott the third, who is now a merchant and post master at Forest 
Hill, W. Va. And grandson of William Mason Scott the first. William M. 
Scott, the third was born at Covington, Virginia in 1867, near to old Fort 
Young. He is a direct descendant of Sir Walter Scott of Literary fame. The 
family have been merchants in this country. William M. Scott the third 
married Josie Thomas in 1890. To this union were born four children, three 
of them died in infancy. One son, W. A. Scott married Nellie allen in 
1917, and to this union were born two children Robert and Leonard. Mrs. W. 
M. Scott died in May 15, 1914. 

W. M. Scott, the third married Lottie Allen in April 1916. To this union 
was born one son, Mason. Mrs. Scott died in December 1917. 

W. M. Scott, the third married for his third wife, Mrs. Minnie Crawford 
widow of the late J. Walter Crawford, on July 31, 1922. 

W. M. Scott moved from Sweet Springs to Forest Hill and purchased the 
store at that place from Harvey Dransfield, and has been the postmaster at 
this place and the leading merchant. 

Charles, son of W. L. Redmond, is an employee of the C. & O. and resides 
in Hinton, W. Va. 

John, son of W. L. Redmond, is a graduate of Indiana Veterinarian College. 
He now holds a position with the United States Government and is located 
at Tuscaloosa, Ala. 

The Bolton Family 
Absolem Dempsey Bolton was the head of the only family of that name that 
we have any information in this country. This gentleman immigrated to this 
country from the county of Giles in the State of Virginia, in the year 
1828, locating permanently on Bradshaw Run, near Forest Hill. He had been 
preaching this country and was as pastor of the Baptist Church for twenty-
eight years before his permanent removal into the state. He was a minister 
of the Missionary Baptist church, a man of fine attainments and fine 
character. No man left a better name to his posterity or better heritage 
to his descendants, than did Rev. A.D. Bolton. He was ordained as a 
minister of the Missionary Baptist church, December 16, 1861, and we are 
able to append a copy of his certificate executed by the venerable Matthew 
Ellison and others. We have a memorandum from his diary showing that from 
June 1873 to October 1899, he preached three hundred sermons, and the 
texts and places these sermons were delivered as well as the dates of 
each, from 1885 to 1898, inclusive. He married ninety-five couples. He was 
born December 12, 1828, and on December 12, 1850 was married to Miss 
Clementine Albert. He delivered his last sermon at Indian Mills on 
November 5, 1899 from the text, II Thess. 14-16. 

Following is a copy of his certificate of ordination: "This is to certify 
that our brother, Absolem D. Bolton was publicly ordained and set-apart 
for the full work of the gospel ministery, with prayer and laying on of 
hands by the under named Presbytery, according to the usages of the 
Baptist Church on December 16, 1861. He was called to ordination by the 
Big Stony Creek Church regularly connected with the Valley Baptist 
Association of which church he is a member, and which after full and 
sufficient opportunity to judge of his gifts were agreed in their opinion 
that he was called to the work of the ministry. Our brother was 
accordingly received with the full and entire approbation of the 
Presbytery called by the church, and also of the gospel ministery and is 
hereby authorized to administer all the ordinances of gospel, and to 
perform all the duties under a minister of Christ, and may the Great Head 
of the church abundantly bless him in all of his labors and may he walk 
worthy of the high vocation where to he has been called. Given under our 
hands December 16, 1861. M. Ellison, John B. Lee, W.R. Gitt". 

He left two sons, Henry Albert and James D. both residents of Forest Hill 
and one daughter, Ettie W. H.A. Bolton is a prosperous farmer and a very 
intelligent and honorable gentleman respected by his neighbors and the 
community. He married Miss Mattie Garten and reared the following 
children: Fannie, who married N.M. Lowry, Bessie, and C.D., who is the 
Cashier of the Nation Bank of Summers. 

J.D. Bolton has been deputy sheriff of this county during two terms of 
four years each. First as deputy for James H. George and the second time 
under Harvey Ewart, filling that position to the eminent satisfaction of 
his principals and to the people. He was elected Sheriff of Summers County 
in 1916 and served four years. He married Mrs. Leedy and after her death 
he married Miss Warren. 

The Bolton family is of English descent, immigrating to this country from 
Bolton City, England, J.D. is the youngest son of Rev. A.D., and was born 
on November 21, 1855 at Parisburg, VA. J.D. Bolton has one daughter, 
Blanch. 

Miss Etta Bolton, the only daughter, married Charles Garten and now 
resides with her aged mother on the old home place. The widow of the Rev. 
A.D. Bolton is still living at this writing, her age being 91 or 92 years. 

The death of Rev. A.D. Bolton occurred at this home near Forest Hill on 
January 27, 1900, and he was laid to rest in the Fairview cemetery. 

The Boude Family 
The Boudes of this country consist of one family, that of Samuel K. Boude, 
who moved from Shenandoah Valley in 1855 to Anthony Creek, Greenbrier 
County and thence to Forest Hill district in Monroe County, now Summers, 
in 1859. He purchased a farm from B.B. Hutchison and married Miss Sarah J. 
Nichells of one of the oldest and most respected families of that name in 
Monroe County and a sister of John Hinchman's wife, Samuel K, as are many 
of the Boude family, was a fine musician and a sweet singer. Another 
celebrated singer in that family was the Rev. Adam P. Boude, a brilliant 
minister of the M.E. Church South, now deceased, also his son Clinton, now 
deceased. Samuel K. Boude was the father of Walter H. Boude, our ex-
circuit clerk, now deceased. 

Walter H. Boude's son Clinton Ford Boude is the only descendent of the 
name in the country now living. 

Samulel K. Boude was a brave soldier in the Confederate Army, being a 
volunteer in Loury's Battery of King's Battalion along with A.A. Carden, 
J.M. Carden, and others. He was the first justice of Forest Hill district 
after the formation of the country, and was also appointed constable in 
the construction of the country. He held this office four years, and was 
one of the commissioners appointed by the circuit court to adjust the 
county line dispute between Monroe, Summers, and Greenbrier in that noted 
controversy. He died before the hearing of the case, and another 
commissioner had to be appointed in his place. He died on February 15, 
1896 at the age of sixty-five years, leaving one son Walter H. Boude and 
seven daughters. After the death of his first wife, he married the widow 
of James Scott, a daughter of the late James Boyde of near the Big Bend 
Tunnel and a sister of Ben R. Boyd. Her first husband being a sone of the 
late James K. Scott of Hungart's Creek. She still survives with one 
daughter Reta, by her last husband and Mona deceased. 

Walter H. Boude, sone of Samuel K. Boude was born on September 23, 1860, 
and was reared at Forest Hill on his father's farm and followed in his 
footsteps, was an active Democrat and believed in the religious doctrines 
of John Wesley. On October 25, 1894 he was united in marriage with Miss 
Alice Ford. They reared the following children: Daisy, Mary, and Clinton. 

The daughters of Samuel K. Boude are as follows: Laura, who married A.T. 
Crawford, and died in December 1923; Etta, who married J.W. Ferrel, and 
now resides on the Greenbrier River; Jennie who married Green Meadows, and 
is now living at Norfold, Virginia; Pearl married and now lives in 
Alabama; Clea married a man named Hare. She is dead now. 

Ferrell Family 
James Ferrell was one of the oldest settlers in this region of the 
country. He was born near Forest Hill, Monroe County, in 1807. The family 
lived there until he was about grown. His father's name was William 
Ferrell. At the age of his majority he removed to Coal River, but he 
returned and determined to seek his permanent residence near Lowell, and 
hired himself to an old Dutch settler by the name of Conrad Keller, who 
had settled near the present village of Lowell. Conrad Keller was the 
ancestor of the present Keller generation of Summers County. James Ferrell 
after working for Keller for some time married on of his daughters, 
Elizabeth in August 1831. Soon after their marriage they settled on what 
is known as the old James Ferrell farm on Greenbrier River, back of the 
Big Bend Tunnel, which is still owned by the great grandchildren. Here 
James Ferrell gegan life in the woods, the farm being bought by Conrad 
Keller and given to his daughter Elizabeth the purchase being farm a man 
by the name of Sawyers. 

James Ferrell was the father of two sons, the oldest dying in infancy and 
the second D.K. Ferrell lived to the age of twenty-seven. He married Celia 
A. Meadow, daughter of Hon. William Meador of Bluestone, and to them were 
born three sons , the first being born dead and the other two J.W. and 
E.D. Ferrell are the representatives of the Ferrelll family. J.W. lived at 
the old ancestral home until his death which occurred in 1922. He married 
a daughter of S.K. Boude and reared the following children: Kenna, Eda, 
Ora, Celia, Ruby, Roy, Wessie, Paul, John, and Boude. All are living 
except Eda and Ora. 

James and Elizabeth Ferrell lived to a very old age, the latter lived to 
the age of eighty-five and the former to the age of seventy-six. After the 
death of D.K. Ferrell, his widow married R.H. Shumate, a son of Anderson 
Shumate of Giles County, Virginia and to their union were born six 
children, none of them reside in this community. Mrs. Celia A. Shumate, 
the widow of D.K. Ferrell died in February 1888 and her second husband, 
R.H. Shumate in 1890. 

The Allen Family 
One of the oldest and most respected of the early settlers of Summers 
County was Nathinel Allen, who resided at the time of his death and for 
many years before on top of the Big Ben Tunnel. He was born in 1811, and 
died June 11, 1903. He was married at the age of twenty-one. He reared 
eight children, A.A. Allen, James, M., W. S., John G., Elizabeth, Sallie, 
Susan, and Mary. None of them are residents of this community except J.M., 
who married Caroline Hutchison, and reared the following children: J.F., 
G.W., Jannie, Mattie, Sallie, Marie, Emma, W.N., Mackie, and J.M. J.F. 
Allen, married Manerva Saunders, and now resides near Orchard, Monroe 
County, and has reared eleven children, all of whom are living except the 
second daughter; G.W. Allen, married Martha Witt, a daughter of J.W. Witt 
of Giles County, Virginia, and reared the following children: Faye, who 
married G.E. Cottle, Nellie, who married W.A. Scott and now resides at 
Bekcley, Wva., C. Lake who marrired Miss Mayme Miller, and resides near 
Forest Hill post office, T. Russell who resides at Beckley, W.Va., and 
Grayson who is with his parents. G.W. is a prominent farmer of Forest Hill 
community. Jannie who married S. J. Nichols, whose history is given 
elsewhere. Mattie married F.G.C. Grimmett, deputy assessor, and reared the 
following children, Guy, Red, and Marie who reside at Charleston, W.Va., 
also J. Arch who married Connie Karns and reared the following children: 
Hubert Swell, Ruth, Marigie, and Jimmie, who resides in Dunbar, W.Va., 
Emma married O.C. Hutchison and reared the following children: Von, Neal, 
Robert, Jimmie, and O.C. Jr. They reside at Ronceverte, W.Va. W.N. Allen 
married Mary Broyles of Monroe County reared two sons, Watha and Opie. 
W.N. is a prominent farmer and cattle raiser of Forest Hill community. 
Mackie married P.M. Garrison and reared two sons, Edmond and Billie. P.M. 
is a prominent farmer of near Forest Hill community. J.M. Allen was one of 
the leading members of the M.E. Church South of this place. He was a 
Confederate soldier and belonged to Company F of Colonel Edgar's 
Battalion. 

This family of Allens is of English descent and there are a number of the 
youngter generation scattered thoughout this section, all of whom are good 
law-abiding citizens. 

Fleshman Family 
O.C. Fleshman married Miss Eliza Broyles, a sister of W.N. Allen's wife 
who settled with the Reverend Lucas who was a Baptist Minister and lived 
where O.C. Fleshman now lives. O.C. Fleshman reared the following 
children: Eliza, Samuel, Andrew, Mason, and Veron. All are now living 
except Andrew. 

McDaniel Family 
J.A. McDaniel who married a Broyles, reared the following children: Causie 
who is with his parents, and Cleo who married May Crawford, a daughter of 
H.L. Crawford. They have one son, James Lewis, and reside with H.L. 
Crawford. Also Isletta , who married a Broyles, reared the following 
children: Causie who is with his parents, and Cleo who married May Lewis, 
and reside with H. L. Crawford. Also Isletta, who married Luther Shoemate. 
J.A. McDaniel is one of our enterprising and successful farmers of Forest 
Hill community. 

Campbell Family 
J. T. Campbell married a Shumate and reared the following children: Ora, 
Lacy, Jessie, Pearl, Eunice, Housie, Oscar, Finley, and Marie. 
J.T. Campbell purchased the Joe Ellis place O.S. Webb and settled here 
about eight or ten years ago. He is one of the enterprising and successful 
farmers of the community. 


P.L. Minner Family 
P.L. Minner is a descendant of the first settler in the Marie 
neighborhood. He married a Miss Brown of Orchard, W.Va. He resides on the 
old home place. He is a successful business man and an enterprising 
farmer. 

Miscellaneous Families 
N.T. Mitchell is the son of an old settler. He marrired a Michael and 
resides on a part of the old Minner tact. 
Isaac Roach married a Michael and resides on a part of the old Minner 
tract. 

Almy Willy married a Huffman and settled on the Richard McNeer farm. He 
died in the summer of 1923. He was a veteran of the Civil War. He has only 
one daughter and one son in this community, Gussie who married a Mowery, 
and resides at the old home place, and W.W. Willy who married a Harvey and 
reared the following children: Glendon, Gladys, Garnet, Genesee, Madeline, 
Howard, and Bernard. W.W. Willy is Justice of the Peace of his district. 

J.L. Canterberry, son of Granvell Canterberry, married a Miss Lowe and 
reared the following children: Kate, Wilbur, Fred, Roy, Pat, Charles, and 
Faye. J.T. resides on and owns the Charles Garten farm. He is one of the 
enterprising farmers of this community. 

E.E. Rogers married a Foster and reared the following sons: Guy and John. 
E.E. Rogers resides and owns a portion of the Charles garten land. He is a 
substantial farmer. 

James W. Lilly son of Tollison Lilly married a Persinger and reared the 
following children: Lizzie, Albert, C.M., Ellen, L.L., J.W., H. R., L.D., 
E.E., and Rose. L.L. married G.E. Cottle and died on October 3, 1917. H.R. 
Lilly married a Dillon Cottle and resides at the Cottle Home place. 

James W. Lilly died October 1922. His widow is still living. The rest of 
the children are living outside of the community. 

P.M. Foster married a Townsley. He resides on the old John Barger place. 
He is one of the successful farmers of this community. He served for a 
number of years as a member of the board of Education of Forest Hill 
district. 

Land Titles and Grants 
The oldest land title in this community was Bradshaw's Tomahawk or Corn 
Right, and this included the following farms: C.L. Louis, A.H. Via, H.A. 
Bolton, O.C. Fleshman, Virgil Redmonds, and W.L. Redmond. We have been 
unable to find any record of Bradshaw ever perfecting his title with the 
British Crown. 

The next oldest land grant is that known as the Pollard Land Grant. This 
was granted to Pollard by Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia and was 
dated April 22, 1788. The survey to this the 2500 acres Pollard grant was 
run or completed the eight day of March 1786 to said Pollard, assignee of 
Henry Banks and started at an oak by the creek near Mrs. Vina Bolton's 
home running North by East to a Buckeye, which stands on the Glendale 
School House lot, thence to E.E. Rogers' and thence West by South to a 
poplar in the old Barger Meadow, just below Cleveland School House, and 
thence South to the staring point, and adjoing the Bradshaw tract. This 
survey contained 2500 acres and was granted by land on Treasury warrants 
numbers 21563 and 16055. These were dated the eighth day of May 1783. This 
grant of land was sold from time to time for taxes until to day it is 
owned by the following farmers: Everet Sims, N.M. Lowry (heirs) J.W. Lowe, 
H.L. Crawford, H.T. Shields, O.L. Webb, W.N. Allen, John R. Garten, T.M. 
Hutchison: heirs, G.W. Allen, W.E. Michael, E.E. Lilly, J.L. Canterberry, 
J.H. Rogers, G.E. Cottle, J.W. Lilly, C.E. Saunders, A.H. Saunders, E.L. 
Saunders, P.M. Foster, W.G. Taylor, and B.M. Ramsey. There has been 
litigation over this with the Pollard heirs but the purchasers have won 
every time. 

The next land grant was the 1390 which was covered by land warrent number 
16055 as mentioned above. This owned by J.D. Bolton, C.E. Sumner, W.N. 
Allen, Mrs. Upton, S.J. Michael, W.C. Woodrum, heirs, J.M. Hutchison, A.M. 
Hutchison and W.L. Hutchison, Almy Willy, heirs, Mrs. D.L. Michael and 
Mrs. J. W. Crawford. 

Over the line between the 2500 acres and 1390 acres land grants came about 
the Great Ejectment suit of Turner vs. Hutchison. This was tried in the 
Circuit Court of Summers was compromised and the land was divided. Some of 
the land in this community belonged to the Boardman grant of 9800 acres, 
which starts at Wykle's Peach or chard and runs a straight line for four 
miles to the two poplars in the Barger Meadow with the Pollard surveys. 

The H.A. Bolton land was settled first by William Brown. The G.W. Allen 
place was first settled by Peter Massey and is still known as the Massey 
place. The J.W. Lowe place was first settled by Alexandra Hutchison, who 
was one of the oldest settlers in the neighborhood and the founder of the 
Hutchison family. He is the father of Major James and J. Mastin Hutchison. 
Alexandra and his wife are buried on the J.W. Lowe place not farm from 
where his barn stands now. B. Vass first settled the N.M. Lowry place but 
left here many years ago. The Uriah Garten place was settled about 1795 
and is still in the family. The E.D. Ferrel place was first settled by the 
Rev. Edwin Woodson, who was an eminent Baptist minister and reared the 
following children: Cary, Ed., John, Jennie, Eliza, and William, Cary 
Woodson was one of the pioneer merchants of this community. He moved from 
here to Alderson several years ago. Ed Woodson lived on the old Home place 
practically all of his life, but he has passed to the great beyond some 
years ago. William moved over in the Ballard neighborhood and reared a 
family, some of his sons are noted as hustlers, as farmers and as 
financiers. Jennie married Stewart Mann. She is dead now. Eliza married 
I.G. Carden and reared the following children: Will, B.Z., John, M.E., 
Minta, Nora, and Lottie. Mrs. Carden has been dead for many years, but all 
of her children are still living. Minta married E.D. Ferrel and is living 
at the old Woodson homestead in this community. They have reared the 
following children: Charles, Cardy, Annie, Ashby, Harry, Glyn, James 
Gussie, Pauline and Sprugeon. All of the children are living. 

Harry is a noted Baptist Divine and is a shining light in his profession. 
All of the children are out of the community and have good positions 
except James who is in school and Spurgeon and Cardy who are farming at 
home. 

E.D. Ferrel is a grandson of William Ferrel who first settled the farm 
where W.N. Allen now lives. 

This neighborhood was first called the Farms, and got its name from the 
saying of a man by the name of Anderson who owned some corn rights in and 
around Forest Hill, and when he would start down here and any one was to 
ask him where he was going he would say, "Down to my farms". But when the 
postoffice was established it was called Forest Hill. 

The farm which J.T. Campbell now owns was settled by Kearns who owned all 
the land from there to Forest Hill. He deeded the land for the cemetery 
and I have been informed that he reserved one quarter out on the North 
side, just outside the fence for a burying ground for his family, but his 
wife and child are the only ones of his family to rest at Forest Hill. 

One of the first settled places here is the Turner place now owned by 
Goldia Campbell and was settled in the early part of the nineteenth 
century, or the latter part of the eighteenth century. It was purchased by 
Leonard Turner who resided there until his death about fifty years ago, 
and then by his widow and daughter till the latter part of the nineties. 
It was then purchased by O.C. Hutchison who sold it to John R. Garten 
about three or four years ago. 

Federal Raids 
This community was a scene of many raids during the Civil War by both the 
Confederate and Union forces. One in particular has left a vivid 
impression on the writer's mind as told to him by his grandfather, who 
some bush-whacker attempted to assassinate. This took place in the hollow 
above C. E. Saunders' place, which was his father's old home. This was in 
the fall of 1863. J. P. Saunders was preparing to sow some wheat while at 
home on a furlough, from Colonel Edgar's Battalion. While he was plowing, 
a Yankee under the leadership of the late Geo. W. Allen of Buck slipped up 
near him and opened fire on him. He started down the ridge by where C. E. 
Saunders now lives with the Yankee shooting at him every few jumps. As he 
was crossing the space between C. E. Saunders' house and the road the 
Yankee took a rest on the fence and fired a volley at him which would have 
ended his life if he hadn't stumbled and fallen to his knees but upon 
getting to his feet he only had a few steps to go until he entered the 
safety of the woods. The latter part of the race was watched by Miss Liza 
Webb and Captain R. W. Saunders' wife. This party came to Captain 
Saunders' home and threatened to burn the house over their heads. Then 
they took all the horses they could find and came over to the home of the 
aforementioned, J. P. Saunders', cutting the harness from the horse that 
J. P. was plowing with, when they fired on him and which had run off and 
breaking loose from the plow had run home. The Yankee told his wife that 
he had killed the d____ rebel and left him lying in the field. Then they 
took the horse and left for Wattie Saunders. After they left the wife of 
J. P. Saunders took George Webb, a boy whom she was rearing, and started 
to the field to find the dead body of her husband. When she arrived at the 
field, they found the plow where the horse had broken loose from it. She 
followed the furrow to where her husband had been plowing, there she found 
where he had started to run, she followed the tracts till she came to 
Captain Robert W. Saunders, who was a brother of J. P. Saunders, there she 
was told that he didn't seem to have been hit, but they went with her down 
the hollow in the woods a piece, but they didn't find anything of him. She 
then returned to her home and didn't hear from him until sometime that 
night, when she had a message from her father, who was Uriah Garten, the 
oldest settler of Spice Hollow. Jackson P. Saunders has told the writer 
many times about falling and hearing the bullets humming over him. He said 
he saw the clover hopping up where the bullets were hitting it. The 
Yankees then went to his fathers, who was a very old man. They took his 
horses and also carried the old man, a prisoner to Raleigh Court House, 
(Beckley). There the old gentleman went on the first strike I ever hear 
of, and absolutely refused to take a morsel of food. He kept this up until 
Colonel R. B. Hayes ordered his release. He returned home and used to tell 
how he "outened the Yankees". The aforementioned Hayes was later President 
Hayes. 

This small band of Yankees captured a man by the name of Meadows and was 
taking him back with them to Packs Ferry where Major McKinley's command 
was camped. While passing along the Isaac Milburn place then owned by John 
Woodrum, they were telling him that they thought they would give him a 
rope necktie when they got down to Buck. They had his hands tied behind 
him, but just as they got to the far end of the lane where the road turns 
at a right angle, he decided it was now or never, so he made a break for 
liberty. The Yankees fired a number of times at him but failed to stop 
him, and he got away without a scratch. Then the southern people called 
for Thurmond's Rangers and after this there was comparative quiet in this 
neighborhood. 

Death of William Woodrum 
William Woodrum who was a brother of Major Richard Woodrum of Wolf Creek 
having joined Thurmond's men enroute, got into a melee and in close 
quarters with Captain Garten, at which time firing commenced, and Mr. 
Woodrum was killed in his tracks. Garten's men were scattered, but all 
made their escape. William Woodrum married a sister of Allen Ellison. The 
killing of Woodrum occurred in the fall of 1864. 

Confederate Soldiers 
W.M. Foster, Co. A., 60th Va. Regiment
F.H. Michael, Co. F., Edgar's Battalion
James M. Allen, Co. F., Edgar's Battalion
T.R. Webb, Co., F., Edgar's Battalion
Thomas G. Lowe, Co. F., Edgar's Battalion
R.S. Rudd, Mosby's Command
W.L. Redmond, 17th Va. Cavalry
Stephen Davidson, Co. F. 22nd Va. Regiment
W.C. Woodrum, Co. F. Edgar's Battalion
Richard McNeer, Lowery's Battery
E.E. Woodson, Lowery's Battery
Harry Smithy, Lowery's Battery
A.M. Hutchison, Lowery's Battery
Wash Cottle, Co., F., Lowery's Battery
Thomas Cottle, Co., F., Lowery's Battery
J.P. Saunders, Co., F., Lowery's Battery
Captain R.W. Saunders, Thermond's Rangers
Mike Foster, Stonewall's Brigade
Allen Woodrum, Co., F., Edgar's Battalion

Federal Soldier
Alma Willey, Co. F, 91st Ohio Infantry 

Spanish American War Veterans 
Dr. W.A. Wykle, Regular
Geo. Wilson, 1st W.Va., Regiment
Boude Wykle, Regulars
Mancer Wykle, Regulars

Soldiers in the World War
Cleo McDaniel
Causie McDaniel
W.A. Scott
Captain John Light, 4th Division
Homer Perdue
Homer Roach died at Camp Meade, Md.
Lake McNeer
Kelly Foster, 3rd Army Division, A.F.
Roy Saunders, 80th Division

Colonel George M. Edgar, the gallant commander of the famous Edgar's 
Battalion relates that on the morning of June 2, 1864, at the second 
battle of Cold Harbor, that part of Lee's line held by his Battalion was 
desperately charged by the Federal Army. The carnage was dreadful. The 
Battle of the Wilderness had just begun, and those awful days were telling 
upon the army of Northern Virginia. The soldiers on both sides were as 
dauntless and devoted as the armies which followed Napoleon at Austerlitz, 
Wagram, and Lodi. The Confederate lines had been thinned, and it was not 
possible for Edgar to concentrate upon the charging Federals a fire 
sufficiently strong to repulse them before they reached the breast works. 
The Federals struck the intrenchments and the conflict became a hand to 
hand affair. The Federals swept over and seemed to engulf the few 
defenders, and a number of confederates were taken prisoners, among them 
Colonel Edgar himself who had received a bayonet wound in the shoulder, 
but before this as related by him, he saw Allen Woodrum fighting 
desperately with the Federals on the breast-works above him, thrusting at 
them with the sharp lance point of the staff of his flag. In a few moments 
just as the Federal line surged over the Confederates defense; Woodrum was 
pierced by several bullets, having thrust however, as he fell, the point 
of his flag staff clean through the body of one of his assailants, thus 
giving him a mortal blow. Woodrum as he fell tore from his staff his 
battle flat and attempted to thrust it beneath his clothes out of sight, 
then falling in death he lay upon it, interposing his body between it and 
his enemies. In a few moments a counter charge of the Confederates 
repulsed the Federals driving them back with heavy slaughter to their own 
lines, and recapturing most of the Conferates who had a few moments before 
being taken prisoners, among those recaptured, being Colonel Edgar 
himself. Later Allen Woodrum was found lying in the intrenchment dead but 
even in death still protecting his flag, which was hidden beneath him. 
Faithful was he un til his death, a modest big hearted country boy, who 
lived and died a hero. General Gordon was deeply moved by this incident. 

The afore mentioned Allen Woodrum was a son of the first settler of the 
Turner place. 

During the summer of 1863, a squad of cavalry from Mosby's Command stopped 
at Wattic Saunders for dinner. This is the place where J.H. Rogers now 
lives, placing their pickets about fifty yards from the gate that entered 
into E.C. Lillys. The pickets were passing their time away playing cards, 
while engaged in this passtime there cam up a severe thunder storm. The 
lightning struck close to the pickets and scared the horses upon which 
they were seated. A man by the name of J. Giles cursed his horse and his 
Maker and called upon God to try him next time, in about ten minutes there 
came a streak of lightning which killed Giles and both of the horses. The 
other man was only stunned. Giles was killed at the cherry tree just 
around the turn from E.E. Lilly's gate. He was buried behind J.H. Rogers 
meadow which is behind the barn under two oaks. The ditches have nearly 
cut the grave out. 

CHURCHES 
The first church built in this community, was built about one mile north-
west of Forest hill post office on the Major James Hutchison place, in 
what is known as Turner's Lane by the road side. It was a log structure 
erected about 1812 or 1814 by the Methodist people and was used until it 
was destroyed by fire in the early thirties. Then they erected a log 
structure just in front of and on the same lot occupied by the present 
Methodist date of 1835. This log structure was used as a church until June 
1860, when a