Pioneers of Mason County

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Pioneers of Mason County ._ M91...)2.....A1I . Vr .,. \4 ...m‘,x1 lllli [H9113 Pioneers of Mason County. In 1794, the town of Point ant islocated, belonged to Thom­ Pleasant was established, and its as Lewis, the son of General name confered upon it, and in Lewis, 9000acres in the forks of 1804, the county was taken oil the Ohio, and Kanawha, was to of Kanawha, and Point Pleasant be equally divided between his was made the county seat. At three sons Thomas, Andrew and the formation of the county, it William. Thomas came before contained 432 square miles, and 1789, and took control of it. His in this large tract of country, I father had died in 1781,and his will try and give a short sketch - will was probated in 1792. of some of the pioneer settlers. Thomas Lewis remained in Kan­ Among those who recieved land awha a short time, and then grants, were Andrew Lewis, Geo came to the mouth of the river, Muse, Peter Hog, Andrew Steph­ and built his cabin at the mouth ' enson, Andrew Waggoner,,John of Old Town "Creek, where once Poulson, John West, Hugh Mer­ stood an Indian village, that had cer, George Washington. The been deserted some years before. grant of Andrew Lewis includ­ This farm is now owned by the ed Point Pleasant. Few of the venerable W. O. Roseberry. In original owners of the land set­ 1791Thomas Lewis established tled upon their land, but many the ferries, and coming at so of the descendents came out, and early a date, he became promi­ took possession of them, and nent in all the affairs of the coun­ some of it was sold to'other set­ try, It has been stated, that he tlers. It was to survey this land _ built a small fort on the site of that Washington, and his distin­ Fort Randolph. during the troub­ guished party, came down the les of 1892-34, and commanded Ohio river in 1770. it. Many visitors had been at The land on which Point Pleas­ the "mouth of the river,” before - 2 Thomas Lewis, the point being Welmowthe names of some an important one to get to the of the noble men and women,‘ “bloody ground," a sort of busi» who lived in the circle of cabins ness point, and resting place for within Fort Randolph, and envy surveyors,‘ where they could pro­ them this great honor. Some of cure transportation down the them had children’ born within river, and it was also a rendevouz the fort, and the owners of many for explorers, and restless pio~ of the line farms in our country, neers, who like the Israelites, are the descendents of these pio­ f‘anxious to go in and possess neers, who cleared a small spot the land.” Hanson and his par­ on which to build, possibly a two ty came down the Kanawha room log cabin, and were as hap­ April 20, 1774, and in his journal py as their grandchildren, with writes, "found 26 people en­ their much larger possessions. campt on the point to cultivate The men who are mentioned on land, others to attend the survey­ the records, in the Clerks Oflice ors." Mark the expression. to at Charleston, as the first to buy cultivate land,” there. must have the lots, and land in the town, been some rudely constructed when put upon the market by stockade, or fort, to have enabled Thomas Lewis were,­ these persons to have carried on To Ben Uhn lot in Point Pleas~ their farming, for farther along ant, 1700. in his journal. he tells of an In‘­ To Amos Morris 8 acres, 1791. dian taking a fine rifle from Mc­ ‘ To Leonard Cooper 5 acres, Culloch, and also speaks of other 1797. depredations committed by them, To Walter Newman 1 acre. showing their hostility, and adds 1797. “that" some were afraid to go To William Owen % acre, 1797. with them. for fear of losing To William Owen 5a—5a-5a-250 theirscalps." acres, 1798,on crooked creek. The real pioneers of Mason To William Owen la-1a—}"2'acres countv, were those who lived in 179‘). fort Randolph, that was built in To Allen Pryor 5 acres, 1797. ‘summer of 1776, forty rods from To Allen Pryor 5 acres, 1797. "fort St. Blair up the Ohio, and To Charles Rowan M plus 1 went out and cultivated the land, acre, 1800. and when peace was finally re­ To Goodrich Slaughter 1 acre. stored, (after General Wayne’s 1798. fvictory at Fallen Timbers.) buil_t To Isaac Yyler lots, 1798. their log cabins, and made homes To George Tyler lots, 1898­ for themselves in the unbroken To James Tyler. Vvilderness, along the two rivers. To Isaac Tyler Jr. ’ To Van Bibber, Lewis— 1808. ed over, was known as “Gibbs T0_Jno. Woodward 2 a plus 1 a Trace.” He is buried eight 189'}. miles from Point Pleasant, along To Van Bibber, Jno, 1808. side of two brave soldiers, and To Van Bibber, James 1898. pioneers, John Robinson and ,To Maurice Reynolds James Ball. To George Thornton, 1899. William Arbuckle, was one of To George Thornton Jr. 1899. those who experienced some of To Jas McGee, 1898. the horrors of Indian war-fare, To Robert McGee, 1899. beinga defender of the settle­ To John Allen, 1808. ments on the frontier. He was To William Bridger, 1800.’ in the battle of Point Pleasant, To W. H. Cavendish, 1S99.~ and was with George Rogers To Allen Pryor to Bob McNair Clark, .when he took the western 1801. forts from the British, and on To Wm. Owen to Heney Skiles his return was one of the garri­ 1803. son at Point Pleasant. He lived To Goodrich Slaughter to in the fort with his beautiful and Francis Morris, 1804. accomplished wife, the widow of To Chas. C. Lewis to Wm. Capt. Robert McClenachen who Sterrett ()0acres, 1803. was killed in the battle of Point The plat seems to have been 1 Pleasant, her maiden name was acre, and five acre lots, William Catherine Madison, more familiar Owen buying many, and at once to her friends, as Kitty Madison. began to sell them olf. Thomas Hannan,and Elizabeth Ben Uhlin not only had the his wife, came at a very early day distinction of making the leap to the country, and lived in one over the high cliff, across the of the cabins, of Fort Randolph, Kanawha river which bears his and went out, and built a cabin name, and to escape capture, 17‘l7,where they lived and died. threw away his fine silver mount­ He was the ancestor of Mrs. ed rifle, but the first lot sold is James Long. Mr. James Long put down on the record to his is one of our most successful credit,—“No H back street." farmers, and his sons have close­ Luman Gibbs for twenty years ly followed in his footsteps, hav­ acted as scout, and to his vigi­ ing one of the most beautiful lence the inmates of the fort farms on the Kanawha. Mrs. owed their comfort, and peace of Long’s grand-father was born in mind. Every week he went out the fort. from the fort, with his trusty The axes of these men echoed, rifle, and made a circuit of the and re-echoed through the tall country, and the path he travell­ trees, of the vast forest. up and down our country, and we owe to l“arl< was built by him, in l7‘)7. them, the possession of this John Cantrell came with his beautiful country of ours, for by widowed mother to the Ohio, in their courage, industry, and in­ 1794;she was a sister of the Clen­ domitable will, they drove out dinen brothers. The Clendin— the savage foe, and made the en’s, nobly did their part in malt­ country to "blossom as the rose." it possible, for settlers to build There was another emigration their cabins, and make homes in that came later, but were never­ the Kanawha Valley. William theless pioneers, for they came ­ Clendinen came from Kanawha' in plenty of time, to take part in 1797,and bought land, first at in telling the mighty oaks,’and the mouth of the river, then mov­ making the settlements. where ed up the Ohio, and finally settled we now see beautiful cities, and at Gallipolis Ferry.’ His daugh­ towns. ter Sophia, married John Miller Among these was John l\lcCul— of Gallipolis, and they were the loch, who came down the river parents of Mr. C. C. Miller, who in a large flat boat, in 1702, and was for so many years, the Pres­ for some reason not known, tied ident of the Merchants National up to the Virginia shore, near 8 Bank, of our city. He was the mile Island, and was influenced father of Mrs. Edith Stephens to disembark and build his cabin. Wade. ,His wife was Olivia Morgan, and William Owen. was one of the on their trip down the river, she organizers of the county. and one was wounded in the arm, from a of the first Court of Mason C0un~ bullet fired by an Indian, from ty. He came to Point Pleasant the Ohio shore. They raised a in 1781. He was from Scotland, large family, and have many de­ and served through the revolu­ scendents in the country. Their tion, and was a man.of influence tombs are to be seen in an old in his day. He moved to Jack­ cemetery on their farm, and the son county, and there died, at inscription is perfectly legible.
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