EMERA ALTIZER AND HIS DESCENDANTS With Sketches of Connected Families.

By

RUBY ALTIZER ROBERTS Member Virginia Historical Society

and

ROSA ALTIZER BRAY Author of The Story of Lamps, Brief History of Montgomery County, etc.

TO DANIEL ALTIZER

In gratitude for his chart, which has been the cornerstone in the build­ ing of this book.

CONTENTS

Chapter Page Foreword_------7 Altizer Genealogical Chart ------9 1. The Early Germans ______44 2. The Coat of Arms ------47 3. Explorers and Immigrants ------51 4. Emera Altizer and The Pitzers ______59 5. The Millers and Rockbridge ______69 6. The Revolutionary War ------76 7. Emera's Service in the Revolution ______82 s. Montgomery in ·t~e Revolution ______86 9. Proofs of Service ------91 10. From Rockbridge to Montgomery ______93 11. Buying a Home ______100 12. The Life of a Settler ______106 ts. The Akers Family· ______115 14. The Elkins Family ______120 15. The Ratcliff Family ______128 16. The Reed Family ______135 17. What the Pioneers Ate ------141 18. Clothing of Our Great Great Grandparents ____ 146 19. Superstitions ______148 20. Emera's Later Years ______153 21. Emera's Burial ------163 22. Mary's Last Years ______166 23. The Sons of Emera ------174 24. Grandchildren of Emera ______186 25. Civil War Records ------215 26. Later Altizers _ ------221 27.. Genealogical Sketches ------232 28. World War Records ------254 29. Family Traits and Features ------:------258 Epilogue ______262

FOREWORD

Young nations, like young persons, are too engross­ ed in the press of current affairs to give heed to the past. or consciously to record the eve.nts of the present .But with advancing years, race-thoughts and those of in­ dividuals turn with ever-increasing persistency tu the past. We have as a people reached an ag-e to see the value of preserving our national history. We now set aside parks in which primitive conditions. are maintain­ ed; restore historic buildings and towns to their original state; mark battle-fields, scenes of momentous events, and the homes of the great; and collect ancient docu­ ments and make their contents available to the people. Individuals too 2.re awakening to the interest and significance of the past, as evidenced by antique collec­ tions, the lengthening rosters of patriotic societies, and a vast amount of genealogical research. A desire. to know to know who one's forefathers were, whence they came and why and how, is well-nigh universal among people of imagination. We have. un­ dertaken to answer these questions about our Altizer progenitors. Unfortunately, the work has in some re­ ~pe.cts been too long delayed. Old papers have been lost; the minds of many of the living oldste-rs have groped in vain among dim memories of ·far-off childhood, for the stories heard from their grandparents. Many of the facts we want most to know have, vanished into oblivion. But though much\ has been lost, much remains. Re­ gret is vain and cannot restore what has perished; our effort has been to gather what is left and record it for posterity. Undeniably, it would be an im_possible task to carry down to the present time each family from the six sons and two daughters of our ancestor in America, but we, the co-authors of this little book, have tried in every conceivable way to secure as much authentic infor-

7 mation about each branch as possible,, sparing neither time nor expense nor labor. In our search, we have for months corresponded with relatives in various sections, and with historical societies and other institutions; paid personal visits to the elders of the family; read more than a hundred volumes of history; pored over old books in courthouses up and down the Valley of Virginia and in Southwest Virginia, as well as in the archives of the Virginia State Library; searched old Bibles; gleaned dates from tombstones; advertised for information in newspapers and historical magazines; and engaged the services of a professional genealogist. Bit by bit, we have pieced together, like a jig-saw puzzle, the tale of our people, and meager though it is, and incomplete in many places as it must always remain, it represents a • vast amount of toil. Our motive has not been the aggrandizement of our people. With Stevenson, we believe that ''the de­ sire to please, to shine ... to draw a faecinating picture of ourselves banishes all that is sterling and most of what is humorous." We have been content to present facts as we found them. No illustrious names or tales of spectacular deeds appear on our pages-nor do any records of crime. Our forefathers were the personifi­ cation of the qualities that come to mind when the word "pioneer" is spoken: hardy, substantial, brave. Contrary to the practice of many historians, we have not searched the records of the past for any real or imaginary members of royalty, nor allowed ourselveR to dwell at length upon similar superficialities. Neverthe­ less, we have felt a keen sense of pride at finding our pioneer ancestors taking part in the establishing and building of this great nation. As we studied th~ir lives and char~cteristics, we were struck by . one pr~dominatinng trait: practically all of them were fighters. From -the Revolution down to

8 the present time, ",.e feel safe in saying that wherever there is a good fight, there will doubtless be someone of the name participating, if not p•romoting the combat. This quality is not particularly admirable, perhaps, but that's the way they are, and we' have therefore stressed this motif in our story. "We can forgive mistakes, but not even God can forgive the hangerback," wrote Stevenson further. Our people were never hangerbacks. They lived full lives: they worked and fought, loved and married, moved to far-distant places, reared families, accumulated posses­ sions, and after a while lay down and died, trusting (rather truculently) in God. He no doubt has forgiven them the human mi.rtakes they made. Let us do like­ wise as we read their story.

ALTIZER GENEALOGICAL CHART The foundation of this chart was a record written by Daniel M. Altizer, of Cambria, Va. When almost seventy he listed 205 persons in their relationship entirely fron1 memory. His record was in the form of concentric circles, each containing the names of one. generation. We have had to make corrections in only a few instances, but many additions have be.en made by the means given in the fore word. Yet even this long list represents only about one­ sixteenth of Emera Altizer's descendants. Morton in his History of Rockbridge County says: "Posterity in the female line tends to grow in a more rapid ratio than in the male line. If a certain John Smith has two sons and two daughters (and the same average rule holds for later generations) then out of the 256 great great grandchildren only sixteen would be Smiths."

9 We have in only a few instances been able to give even the children of Altizer women, whose change of name made the work difficult. Their grandchildren and great grandchildren would probably comprise a list fully sixteen times: as long as this. The majority or the families into which the Altizers married followed the route from Pennsylvania1 through Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley, frequently through Rockbridge or Franklin County, into Mont­ gomery. It is said that nowhere is royalty so worshiped as in supposedly democratic America. If you feel a hankering to be descended from a king, we are prepared to gratify your longing. A writer Lt1 the Rotarian presents the case: "On one point most genealogists will brook no skepticism. It is the matter of descent from royalty. The fact is that most people who come of British ancestry can trace their pedigrees back to royal lines. You need no more than an elementary knowledge of arithmetic to prove it. Every man has two parents, four grandpare,nts, eight great grandparents. The number doubles theoretically, in every generation as you trace back. Now, Alfred the Great died somewhat more than one thousand years ago. If you allow three generations per century, that means that 31 of them have intervened between him and his pres­ ent-day descendants. How many fore­ fathers would you have had in his day if the number had doubled in each gene.ra­ tion? Figure it out. The number . . . is well above one billion. Of course you had no such numbe,r, for the entire population of the world was less than one billion,

10 at that time. Your ancestral lines over­ lapped. You might find, for example, that some fertile, yeoman, of three or four centuries ago, was your forefather in as many as three or four different lines. Nevertheless, however you consider the :figures, they present strong evidence that you are probably descended, if you have, British blood, from virtually every man on the Isles who fathered children during King Alfred's reign. Why not admit the likelihood that he was one of them?" Most of the line3 we have traced in this chart show some admixture of English blood. Furthermore, with the world's population so small in the ninth century, the same generalizations would be true of Germany and all other countries. So you are of the blood of kings. But then so is practically everybody else. In this chart, Emera. Altizer's children and grand­ children are listed in capitals; the fourth generation is shown by numerals; the fifth in bold print; the sixth by letters. The abbreviations used are: ch. for children; b. for born; d. for died; m. for married; mar. for mar­ riage; dau. for daughter; abt. for about. The deriva­ tions of names shown in Chapte.r 27 are for the most part from Harrison's Surn~mes of the United Kingdom.

Emera Altizer born at Bingen on the Rhine, Hesse, Ger­ many about 1736: die.d in Montgomery County, Vir­ ginia, Sept. 1819. Married (1) Mary· Pitzer b. abt. 1740; d. abt. 1771. Dau. Christian and, 1\tlary Pitzer (?) (2) Mary Miller b. in Berkeley County, Va. 1758; m. July 1773; d. Aug. 25, 1850 in Montgomery County. Dau. David and Hannah Miller.

11 Children: John, Emery Jr., Elias, William, David, Jonas, Elizabeth, Nancy. I. JOHN ALTIZER (Son of Emera and Mary Pitzer Al­ tizer) b. 1765; d. Dec. 11, 1850; appraisal of estate re­ turned Feb. 1851, Floyd Co. M. 1795, Elizabeth Elkins b. 1779; d. Apr: 17, 1859. (Dau. Archibald Elkins d. 1791 and Margaret Elkins d. abt. 1830). John lived near his father. Children: ;L PEGGY m. James Akers Sept. 8, 1819; John Altizer surety; Peter Howard, minister. CATHERINE (Kitty) m. Moses Akers Dec. 24, 1828. ELIZABETH m. Mr. Yearout. NANC·y m. Randolph Akers (son of William and Lydia Elkins Akers) Feb. 10, 18-31. Richd. Buckingham, minis­ ter. Bond dated Feb. 2; William Akers surety. MELVINA m. Stephen Bishop. Several children. SUSAN m. Tobias Burk. Lived near Broad Shoals, Floyd Co. Had: 1. Charles Burk m. Ma1·tin. 2. John Burk. 3. Cynthia Burk m. Rufus Martin. 4. Elizabeth Burk m. James Roop. 5. George Burk m. Martha J. Altizer (dau. John R. of Jonas). 6. Jesse Burk. 7. Kittie Burk m. Jubal Anderson. 8. Emma Burk m. Flincham. EBBIE (or Evey) m. Dave Alley. ELIAS E. (Elkins?) b. Jan 4, 1812; m. Apr. 6, 1832 by Rev. Richd. Buckingham to Cynthia Ratcliff b. July 6, 1815. Lived near Sp2.ngler's Mill, Floyd Co. Ki11e.d by sawmill during Civil War. Children : 1. Jesse R-, Confederate soldier; b. 1837; d. 1920; m. (1) Octavia Sumpter (Floyd re,cords show Olivia), . dau. Edmund and D. Sumpter, (Edmund son of

12 Sumpter). Octavia d. 1861 age 27. Sister to Arminta who mJ J. Wesle,y Altizer. Jesse m. (2) at age 26, 1863, Polly Altizer aged 21, dau. Elias R. and Rachel Altizer (of Emery Jr.). Had: Jacob S. (only ehild of 1st wiie). M. Sally A. Les­ ter. Had: a. Agnes , m. Chas. Nixon; ch. ; Russell, Ruth, Sally. b. Gertrude m. Dr. Samuel Nixon; ch.; Julia, Sam Henry II. c. Fred m. Ruby Sutphin; ch. ; Ke.nneth. d. Edith. e. Lacy m. Daphne Allen; ch.: Betty Frances, Lacy Lenton. f. Roy. g. Iva. h. Allen m. Virginia Epperly. E. Wesley m. Lila Akers, dau. Wallace Akers (see Nancy Akers' line). George m. Rachel Altizer. Delia m. Frank Covey. David P. m. Cora Lester. Barney m. Florence Myres. Leb m. Laura Akers, sister of Lila. (See Nancy Akers). Jesse Captain m. Arminta Reed. Dora m. J. B. Lester. John E. died in child­ hood. Emily d. in childhood. 2. John Wesley n1. Arminta Sumpter (See Jesse R.) had: C. Columbus m. Hassie Shelburne Altizer (widow of Asa, whom see for parentage, and descendants). Grant m. Belle Burnett. Had: a. Dewey m. (1) Lura Teel; (2) Minnie Akers. b. Virginia m. Rob Altizer (son of Jack). John m. Mellie Shelor. Had : a. Elgin m. Gwendolen Shelton; ch. ; Geraldine Elizabeth and Elgin Edmund Jr. b. Roy m. Lola Light. c. Vernal. d. Orpha m. Mar­ vin Elkins. e. Kermit d. at ~O yrs. f. Lowell. g. Percy. Virginia (Jennie) m. Andrew Altizer (Son of Elias R. of Emery Jr.). Josephine m. William Shelburne. Eddie d. un­ man-ied. Arizo11,3. m. Benj. Shelor. Lura m. John Thompson. 3. William C. Disappeared in New Mexico. 4. Sarah Jane b. 1843; m. Oct. 1865 Reid Duncan b. 1844. 5. Bertie m. Asa Bishop. 6. Ellen m. Will Sled. 7. Elizabeth age 21 m. Sept 27, 1866 Hey. W. Bis­ hop aged 24. 8. Martha ("Puss") m. (1) Griffith Akers son of Jackson and Evaline Akers. (2) Archibald Akers. 9.Cynthia m. William Reed Aug. 16, 1871. 10. Rebecca m. Terry Teal. Each of the daughters of Elias and Cynthia had a daughter named Cynthia. 11. James Russell m. Mary Ellen Gordon, dau. Thomas Jefferson Gordon b. 1836 d. Oct. 1913, and Nancy Adeline Kerr Gordon b. 1845, d. March 1899, both of Giles County. Ch.: Eula m. s. Quentin Reed, son of Burdine Reed~ son of Robert Reed (m. Miss Dulaney), son of George Reed whom. in Montg. Co. Sarah Graham (Grimes) Feb. 5, 1811, Robe.rt Grimes surety and father. Robert Grimes' (Graham) will probated Floyd 1834 names wife Rachel, ch.: Luke, John, Samuel, Nancy Thompson, Miriam Howerton, Sara Reed and Elizab. Akers. George Reed was son of George Reed and Margaret Griffith Reed whose. second husband ,vas Emery Jr. Eula had: a. Mary Ellen. b. Martha James d. in childhood. c. Sammie Quentin d. in childhood. 12. Vergil Stuart b. 1\1:ay 2, 1853, d. Sept. 1935; m. 187_6 Isabel Akers, aged 17; dau. Jackson Akers (See Nancy's line); Isaac Akers minister; witness Adam Akers. Had: Swannie m. J. W. Bov1es; Margie m. Bevins; sons ELISHA b. Mar. 8, 1814; d. Nov. 11, 1873. Lived near Broad Shoals. m. Feb. 16, 1846~ Louiza Holliday b. Aug.

14 16, 1824, d. Dec. 26, 1895, dau. Levi Holiday who m. Miss Cloud. Children ; 1. George b. Feb. 1847; d. Oct. 1918; m. Aug. 1869 l\tlarinda Alley b ....L\.pril 27·, 1847, d. Aug. 7, 1914, dau. David and Sophia Altizer Alley (See Jonas). Had: Lelia b. July 10, 1870; m. Dec. 15, 1895 Marshall Moore b- Apr. 26 1873, d. July 7, 1914. Had: a. Herbert Ray m. Mary Stuart; b. Elbert Glen m. Helen Hughes. c. Ivan Harmon m. Hazel Goode; d. Richard Averill m. Iva Akers; e. Bess Vivian m. W. H. Basham ; f. Hazel. Bernice, Veteran Spanish American War; un­ married. Warner G., Vete,ran Spanish American War. M. Olive Barnes. Had: a. Virginia. 2. Joseph Marion m. (1) Elizabeth Shelor, (2) Sept. 25, 1879 at age 27 Alice Thompson aged 17, dau. Enos Thompson and Elmira Howard Thompson (dau. Reu­ ben and Rhoda Howard). Had: Elizabeth (only child of first wife). Claude; Mary; Pearl; Hazel m. Leonard Lester. Roscoe m. lVIary Long. Howard m. Mae Arnold Pond. 3. Joshua b. at Sowers, Va. Nov 30, 1855, d. Jan. 28, 1917 unmarried. 4. John b. at Sowers, Va. July 18, 1857; unmarrjed. 5. Jack (E. J.) m. Gillie Correll, dau. Willian1 and Emeline Altizer Correll. Had : Tressie m. Gordon Lester. Herbert. Robert m. Vir­ ginia Altizer. Marvin. 6. Louanna m. Tom Thompson. 7. Abbie b. Jan. 29, 1865; m. Ernest Reece 1895. Had: Ruby May; Ulmont V.; Beulah Gay. 8. E. Altizer d. 1861 at 13 yrs. 9 and 10. One dau. :ind another son die

15 JOHN ELKINS ALTIZER b. 1817; d. 1894. Member Pri­ mitive Baptist Church: lived near White Oak Grove Church, Floyd Co. M. Sarah (Sally) Shelor (dau. Ann Tuggle Shelor, dau... John Tuggle, and Jacob Shelor, son of Revolutionary Capt. Daniel Shelor, son of Lawrence Shelor immigrant from Germany abt. 1750). Ch. ; 1. William Hiley b. Nov. 30, 1844, d. Feb. 26, 1929. Lived at Riner, Va. m. Aug. 9, 1866 Angeline Graham, dau. Lawrence and Mary Simmons Graham (dau. Wm. Simmons) who were m. Jan. 29, 1831. Had: Albert m. (1) Bertha Thompson; (2) Lula More­ head. Ch.; a. Guy ~- m. Meda Slusher; b. Maude, c. Louise ( ch. sec. wife). Posey J. m. Bertha Elizabeth Meyer. Will 0. m. Nora C. Harmon. Lucy M. m. Letcher Lawrence. Ch.: a. Reinsley m. Virginia Porterfield. b. Harold. Sallie V. m. Zoll Grim. Ch.: a. Pauline m. Carl Mast. b. Reba. c. Zoll Jr. m. Catherine Simpkins. d. Nell. e. Madeline. f. Ker­ mit. Myrtha 0. m. W. F. Gordon. 2. James Harve,y b. 1847, d. 1921; m. 1875 Martha J. Riner, dau. David Riner. Had: Frances May m. V. W. Moore,. Riner Gaither m. Columbia Bland Duncan. Had: a. Jackson D. m. Frances Greetham. Ch.; Thomas Jonathan Jackson and Jane Duncan. b. James Harvey. c. Return Jonathan Meigs. d. Riner Gaither. Marvin Harrison unmarried. Alice Bertha m. L. H. Hubbard descendant 6th gen­ eration from John Alden and Priscilla Mullens. 3. Mary Ellen m. J. Stillman Thompson. Had: Ida m. Albert Harmon. Sally m. Williard Pugh. John m. Lura Altizer. Rufus m. Pearl Shelburne. Ch.:

16 a. Roxie m. Benny Mannon. Lives at John Al­ tizer's homesplace. Other children. Lily m. L. A. Cummings. Maude m. Wade Akers. 4. John Lafayette m. Kate Peterman. Lived at Riner, Va. Had: Olya m. W. H. Horton. Ch.: a. Louise. b. Mabel. c. William. Otho m. Ruth Patterson. Ch.: a. Katherine Stuart. Gray m. Thelma Thompson. Ch. ; a. Michael Gray. 5. Sarah Ann (Sallie) m. William Thomas Riner. Had: Mary Floks m. ·William Thompson. Esther Flagg. Vivian Edith m. (1) Thomas Roudabush, (2) J. B. Burnett. Ch.; a. Sherwood Roudabush. Ivy Lena m. Andrew Hall. Ch. : a. Charligne. b. Twins: Nellie Sue and Martha Louise. Frank- Martha Ellen. CORNELIUS ALTIZER b. Aug. 9,.1821; d. May 27, 1904. Lived near Broad Shoals, Floyd Co. Member Primitive Baptist Church. m. (1) Jan. 14, 1846 Abigail Alley ·b. July 11, _1820, d. July 6, 1888, dau. James Alley; (2) on De.c. 27, 1891 Susan Dixon, who m. as second husband Wilbert Reed, son of Spencer, son of Mark Reed. Corne­ lius had: 1. James Asa b. 1856, d. · Oct. 29, 1895. M. (1) 1880, Mary !vI. Graham aged 16, dau. D. and N.Graham, M. V. Smith, minister~. (2) Hassie Shelburne, dau. John Shelburne from eastern Virginia. Ch-; Weta (dau. sec. wife) m. (1) Lance Lester, (2) W. J Hall .Ch.; .Janice Lester. 2. 1\1:iranda m. Archie Wells. JESSE W. b. 1826, d. May 26, 1914. Lived near Broad Shoals. M. by Rev. Owen Sumner Aug. 8, 1850 to Eliza 17 Akers b. Aug 10, 1829, d. Apr. 25, 1912; dau. William and Lydia Elkins Akers. Children: 1. Emeline m. William Correll b. 1841. Had: Kemper m. Esma Altizer. Robert unmarried. Gillie m. Jack Altizer. ~race m. Nathan Basham. Ch.; a. Esma m. John A. Collings. b. Ada. c. Frances. 2. Jennie unmarried. D. Sept 8, 1869. 3. Mallie m. Isaac Moore. Had: Peach Moore m. ( 1) Eliza Mitchell. (2) Lillian Russell. Ch. ; a. Thomas. b. Edna. c. Essie m. Roy Gerald. d. Willie m. Earl Poff, Ch.; Herman. 4. Me.rit m. Caroline Cummings, sister of Dana C. Altizer. See No. 5 below. Ch. ; Annie, Lena, Donald, Daisy, Beulah, Eugenia m. Luther Akers (Se,e Nancy's line), Glenna, Charles, Posey, Stella, Roy. 5. William Waddie m. (1) Dana Cummings, dau. Henry Preston Cummings; (2) Mary Vernon Shelburne Surface, dau. William J. and Mary Craig Shelburne. Waddie and Dana had: Ernest William m. Hazel Butler. Ch.: Jean Elizabeth Herman J. m. Anna Crowley. Ch.: a. Herman Jr. b. Phillip J. Eslie (Billy) m. Bedie Thomas. Ch. ; a. Marvin Eslie. b. Thelma LaVerne. Fred R. m. Frances J\'.Ierendino. Ch.; Jack Vernon. Ruby m. Laure.nee L. Roberts, son of Luther and Margaret Matthews Roberts. II EMERY ALTIZER JUNIOR (Son of Emera Altizer Sr. and Mary Pitzer Altizer); b. abt. 1769. Will probated March 1872. Lived on Little River near his father. M. (1) Mary Reed (da.u. Humphrey Reed Sr.) ; (2) Mar- garet (Peggy) Griffith Reed (nee Griffith, widow of

18 George Read whom she m. in Franklin Co. Feb. 10, 1806, Jonathan Griffith surety and probably fath'er. A sister of Peggy ~- a Showalter. Jonathan Griffith was sur~ty for the marriage in Franklin of Polly Griffith, perhaps sister of Peggy, who m. Samuel Delaney Jan:.· 14, 1806). Both Peggy and Emery Jr. -had children by first marriages. Children of Emery Jr.: · ELIAS R. (REED?) ALTIZER Called "Ale." Membe,r Dunkard Church. Lived near mouth of Indian Creek. Son of first wife. M. Rachel Dqlaney (dau. William Dulaney son of Samuel and Mary Dulaney. Rachel had brothers Richard, Dani.el, Hiram, and Samuel, and sisters Milli~,, Mariam whom. Emry Reed, Sa~ who m. William Reed). 0 Had: " " 1. Enos (Ennis) Confederate soldier. m. Lucinda Al­ tizer. 2. Matthew m. Catherine. Elliott or Ellett, dau. Dr. Elliot, Clerk of Floyd County. 3. Andrew Jackson m. Jennie Altizer dau. John Wes­ ley. Lived at Snowville, Va. Ch.; Ollie Ethel m. Dudley. Mamie Ray m. Roop. Clinton, World War Veteran. Others. · 4. Elias m. Ge,rtrude Aldridge from Locust Grove. Lives near Riner. 5. Polly m. Nov. 1863 at age 21 to Jesse R. Altizer, widower aged 26, son Elias E. and Cynthia Altizer. Andrew Reed minister. See John's line for children. 6. Priscilla b. Feb. 17, 1844; d. March 1, 1930, m. 1864 Andrew Jackson (Jack) Lucas b. June 18, 1843; d. March 12, 1921; son of Wilson and Mary Webb Lucas. Ch.; Daniel Stuart Lucas, b. Apr. 26, 1865. Lives at Simp­ sons, Va. M. Apr. 28, 1897 Gay Hall. Had: a. Jessie Brooke. b. Emma Lake. c. William D. d. Mazie. G. e~ Alice Lane. f. Daniel Stuart (dead). g. An­ drew Day.

19 h. Virginia Gay (dead). i. De Witt S. j. An­ namilli. k. Mary Josephine. Aquila b. Feb. 5, 1867; d. June 25, 1925. M. Alice Iddings. William Quinter b. Mar. 5, 1869; m. Minnie Crag­ head. Andt'ew Wilson b. Nov. 11, 1871; m. Callie Clower. Elias Griffiith b. Nov. 21, 1874; d. Mar. 11, 1898 un­ married. Jenny Lind b. July 5, 1878 m. Lee M. Shank. Emory Jackson b. Aug. 10, 1880; m. Willie 0. Sisson. Doctor Clark b. Aug. 28, 1882 m. Eugenia Basham. Joseph Augustine b. Sept. 20, 1884 m. Pearl Howery. Blaine Logan b. Aug. 31, 1886; m. Ione Light. Trig Mosby b. Nov. 11, 1888; m. Laura Conner. 7. Rachel ("Sis") m. 1874 at age 19 to Tom W. Les­ ter aged 21, son of L. and T.- M. Lester, Minister H. P. Hylton. 8. Virginia ("Jennie") m. 1877 aged 19, to Wes. W. Smith of Snowville, constable, aged 35, son of J as and Matilda Smith, M. V. Smith, minister. 9. Theodocia m. Montgomery Wilson. 10. Susan m. Albert Lester. MILLIE ALTIZER m. Daniel Dulaney. Said to be one of older children. Probably dau. first wife. ANDREW R. (REEJ;)?) ALTIZER (Son of first wife)) b. Oct. 10, 1807. M~ Lydia Scaggs b. Dec. 1808. After leaving Montgomery, lived first at Blue Ridge, Va., for some years. Left Va. the ·summer before Civil War and went to Ill. Had: 1. Edmundson Altizer b. Oct. 14, 1830. Died in Civil War. Ch.; William T. Altizer m. Alice Jean Baker (relative Helen Wills Moody). He lived in California 51 years; d. at Antioch, Cali~. aged 75; obituary in

20 Calif. paper referred to him as "old pioneer." Ch.: a. Walter Altizer, Ch. : Alice. 2. Mary Ann Altizer b. March 4, 1832; m. Chas. Thompson. Lived in Va. 3. Emery Altizer b. Jan. 29 1834. In Union Army. Ch-: Mrs. Dora Carroll, Joplin, Mo., dau. first wife. Jess Altizer, Joplin, son last wife. 4. Joseph A. Altize.r b. Feb. 6, 1836; m. Melvina De­ laney. In Union Army. Died at 84; Melvina d. at 82. Both buried 7 miles west of Kingfisher, Okla. They liv­ ed first at Pittsfield, Pike Co. Ill. ( County borders Mis­ sissippi River). Went to Kingfisher, Okla., when that country open for settlement. Had: Joe, still living in Oklahoma in 1929. Amanda m. Mr. Churchill who di. 1916; served in Co. B. 12th Infantry Union Army. To Lincoln, Kan­ sas in 1897. 5. Martha Altizer b. June 20, 1840, d. Jan. 4, 1921. M. Aaron Wood Appelgate. To Joplin, Mo. 1888. Ch.: Mary d. at 16 yrs. John McCleland Appelgate now lives Joplin, Mo. James Appelgate$ Joplin. Sada Appelgate married ; maiden name resumed. Ch.: a. Karl Appelgate (adopted by grandparents), Joplin, Mo. World War Veteran. Florence m. L. V. Hauser. Lives at Long Beach, Calif. Charles deceased. William Aaron b. 1882, d. Apr. 1936, Joplin City fireman. Member Masonic Lodge-. Wife Margaret --_-; city Auditor. 6. Sparrel Hale Altizer b. June 1843; d. Kingfish­ er, Okla., May 29, 1921. In Union Army. M. Aug. 13, 1863; Sarah Stewart. Ch. ; :William Altizer, Indiahoma, Okla.

21 James, Kingfisher. Okla. Luther, Lamar, Colo. An­ drew,.... Indiahoma. Charles Edward died at sea in transit to France just before armistice. Roy, Kingfisher. Mary Altizei-. Lucy m. Mr. Rogers, Kingfisher, Okla. Lydia m. Mr. Ketzinger, Galena, Ohio. Pearl m. Mr. McCully, Kansas City. 7. Simon Slade b. Oct. 20, 1845, d. 1906. In Union Army. M. Roxie Lawson at Logan, W. Va. Ch.; W. E. (Ed) Altizer, Huntington, W. Va. Julia b. 1875 d. 1930. M. J. Cary Alderson. Adopted dau. now a. Mrs. Earl Carter, Alderson, W. Va. Guy m. Dr. J. A. Washington (distant relative of George Washington) Logan, W. Va. Ch.; 1 son and 1 daughter. Mary m. T. A. Palmer, Huntington, W. Va. Ch.: 2 sons. Roxye m. W W. McCue, Huntington. Ch.: a. Lawson m. a Mr. Lawson. Arthur B. World War Veteran. Mount Dora, Fla. 8. Andrew Paris Altizer b. Feb. 12, 1848. Ch.: Mrs. Bertha Moxley. Mrs. Ethel Hol!iday. Jess Al­ tizer. All of Joplin, Mo. 9. Elias Altizer b. Nov. 9, 1850. 10. William Altizer b. Aug. 2, 1853; m. Clemie Cole­ man. He died young, leaving 3 children who are now dead. EDWARD ALTIZER (?) moved to Missouri in early life. ANNA ALTIZER m. George A. Reed Dec. 31, 1829. (See Betsy Reed's line). Ch. ; 1. Jonathan Reed. 2. Miram Reed. DICY ALTIZER m. Nov. 25~ 1829 Elijah Reed (See Betsy Reed's line). AARON ALTIZER b. July 23, 1829, d. March 16, 1923. Moved to Logan County W.Va., about 1858. M. (1) by Rev. Owen Summer to ~arah Scaggs b. 1828, d. June 7,

22 1876. Minister's return dated Aug. 9; Bible gives mar. date May 27. Bond dated May 24, 1847, William and Miriam Scaggs parents, Emera Altizer surety. (For Scaggs marriage see Peradine Akers. Nancy Akers' line); (2) m. Mary Aliff d. Dec. 18, 1903. She had no children. Aaron and Sarah hadr: 1. Perry Green b. 1\1:ar. 20, 1848; d. Apr. 7, 1917. Set­ tled on Buffalo Creek 6 mi. above his father's home. Postmaster, merchant, farmer, stock raiser, lumber­ man. M. De.c. 25, 1872 Queen Victoria White. Ch.; ...Winfred Freemont b.-Oct. 2, 1877; d. Nov. 16 1905. · M. Cora ....L\.nn Gore. Ch. ; a. Peachie, Ethel, W. Va. b. Velva m. Pelter, Sharpes, W. Va. c. Wiilard, Ethe], W. Va. d. Clyde, Sharples, W. Va. Edgar Watts b. Feb. 19, 1878; d. Mar. 16, 1879. __ Elbert Elwood b. May 1, 1880; d. Feb. 14 1905 un­ married. Mary Alice b. Oct. 10, 1882; d. June 30, 1913; m. Fred Cook. Cora Bell b. ·Oct. 4, 1885; m. Joseph W. Mangus, Robinette, W. Va. a. Edison. b. Alton, c. Herbert. d. Ethel m. Lewis, Gallipolis, Ohio. e. Ruby m. Holstein. Five children died young. Lavina Brooke b. June 9, 1886, d. Oct. 4, 1912; m. George Robt. Claypool. Ch.; a. Orpha. b. Opal m. McGuire. c. Gladys, all of Logan, W. Va. Eva Isabel b. Apr. 7, 1891, m. John Amburgey Nov. 18, 1911, Robinette, W. Va. Ch.: a. Aaron Martin. b. Virgie Vanettes. c. Wood­ row. d. Cary Dale. e. Edwin Ray. f. Virgil Clay. 2. Joseph Altizer, settled on his father's property.

23 Farmed, timbered, ran mill. B. Aug. 23, 1849; d. l\iiar. 10, 1913. M. Nancy White. Ch-; George Altizer, Davin, W- Va., Ken, member Hunt­ ington police force. Bruce, Peach Creek, W. Va. D~. Edward Altizer, Accoville, W. Va. ,valter, Man, W. Va. Julius, Man, W. Va. Leona m. B~rke, Man, W. Va. Two children of Joseph dead. 3. Mary Margaret, (Said to have been named for Mary Pitzer?) B. Apr. 6, 1851; m. Noah White. Ch.: Everet White. Charlie. Dora m. Cline. All of Crown, w. Va. Two children dead. 4. Corpildia (Corrilda?) Ellen b. Sept 8, 1853. D. Aug. 11, 1854. Buried on Little. River. 5- Charles Thomas b. Apr. 15, 1855; d. Aug. 6, 1925. M. Sarah Burgess. Ch. : Nin m. Carsey; Dora m. Taylor. Belle m. McNeely. Wade. Thomas Milburn A!tizer World War Vetergn. M. Ethel---Ch.: a. Mabel Larene. b. Gladys Fay, c. Chas. Ever­ ett. d. Mary Frances. e. Evelyn May. f. Thomas M. g. Lorenzo Dan. h. Mildred Sarah. i. Lee Ray. 6- Parthena b. Feb. 9, 1857; d. May 18, 1858. Buried on Little River. 7. George Russ. b. Jan. 30, 1859. Lives at Henlawson, W. Va. M. Elizabeth White. Ch.; Norma. Grace- Mamie. Grover, Millard, Bob. Roy. Herlie. 8. Andrew Bru~e b. May 29, 1861; d. Dec. 10, 1930; m. Vionila Browning. Ch. : Aaron. Laura. Burks. Milton. Joseph. Lydia. Simon. Bova. Minnie m. Belcher. Molly m. Hall. 9. Emery b. Apr. 9, 1863; d. Aug. 21, 1932. M. Cora I. Christian,. b. June 3, 1871, d. July 3, 1916. All their children live at Barboursville, W. Va. Ch. : Frank, W~rld War Veteran. Jordon. George Lee. Clay. Etta May m. Otis Cook. Ch.: a. Mildred. b. Elmer. c. Chester C. d. Ruby Madge. m. Homer Call, ch. : Larry Lee. e. Oley E. f. Hazel Grace. g. Neva Catherine. h. Beuna Isa­ belle. Grace m. Adkins. One child of Emery dead. 10. William Altizer, Lavalette., w. Va., b. Apr. 26, 1866. M. Rebecca Ann Christian July 17, 1884. Had: Oza b. Apr. 13, 1885, m. Sarah Adkins July 3, 1915. Ch.: a. Paul Glen .. b. Ruth. c. Roy. Bert Lee b. July 23, 1887; m. Margie Cline Apr. 4, 1918. Ch.: a. Helene. b. Earl Thomas. c. Florence Mae. Elbert Earl b. June 18, 1889, d- Aug. 17, 1895. Myrtle b. Sept. 21, 1891; d. Oct. 15, 1892. Ray, Huntington, W. Va. Ruth. b. Aug. 28, 1901; d. May 21, 1904. Mary b. Feb. 6, 1906; d. May 26, 1908. 11. Aaron Lee, Spencer, w. Va. b. May 8, 1868. un­ married. 12. Henry Edson, Yolyn, W. Va. b. Apr. 6, 1871, m. 1903 Ella Mangus b. Dec. 10, 1878, dau. John Boston Mangus b. Montgomery Co. 1832, d. 1920; (Son of David Mangus of Floyd Co. and Abby Gilcovy Man­ gus, b. and reared near Snowville, Va.; these of Ger­ man descent) and Mary Totten Mangus of W. Va. (dau. John A. Totten from Md. of English descent, and Judithia Bonifield of French ancestry). JEPTHA GRIFFITH ALTIZER son of second wife. B. Oct. 15, 1828; d. Jan. 14, 1911. Confederate soldier. Be­ longed to Dunkard Church. Lived near mouth of Indian Creek; m. (1)--; (2) in 1873 at age 44 to Mary Dun­ can single aged 38, dau. B. and R. Duncan. Minister An­ drew Reed. Childre.n of J eptha : 1. Burdine m.--Bolden. 2. Jeptha Edward b. 1855; m. Jan. 1876 Miriam Reed b. 1852, dau. Robt. and Margaret Reed. Ch.: ·· Madison m. May Boothe. William m. Lavina Al­ tizer. Charlie m. Lucy Martin. Robert m. Lula Reed.

35 Pearl m. Albert Altize,r. Mattie m. Roscoe Grant. Rosa Belle m. Elbert Meadows. 3. Jacob D- b. Aug. 24, 1864. M. (1) Vina Duncan. (2) Ruth Goad. (3) Manda Burton. Had: Laura m. Columbus Reed, Carthage, Floyd Co. Harrison m. Cada Altizer, Newbern, Va. Alfred m. Pearl Altizer, Riner, Va. Sherman m. Minnie Burton, Carthage. Dorse, World War Veteran, m. Leva Dulaney, Carthage, Va. Ethel m. George Burton, Riner, Va. Dewie m. Grace Carl, L,ebanon, Va. Oakley m. Edna Teel~ Riner, Va. Vinna m. Emery Harris, Radford. Va. Ora m. Ike Sowers, Radford. Vada m. Anna Sowers, Carthage. Tay. Tressie, Riner, Va. 4. Lizzie m. Milton Roop. 5. Rachel m. George Altizer. RACHEL ALTIZER m.. Anderson Alley. Bond dated Fe.b. 5, 1844. Mar. Feb. 14 DELILA ALTIZER b. Se.pt. 4, 1822, d. Mar. 10, 1911, m. Nov. 26, 1840 by Austin Hylton, minister, to Samuel Akers b. Apr. 10, 18J8, d. 1897 (son of Jonathan Akers and 1st wife A Knute. ,Jonathan's second wife was Han­ nah Howard, dau Rev. Wm. Howard, whom he m. Mar. 25, 1795, Jeremiah Pate and Blackburn Akers surety). Delila had: 1. Creed T- Akers m. Susan Akers, dau. Jackson (See Nancy Akers' line) . 2. Millard F. Akers b. Oct. 16, 1848; d. Feb. 25, 1931; m. Susan I:liz;,-ibeth Alley b. Nov. 23, 1851: d. Apr. 2, 1914, dan. ::.:J.rtha Altizer Alley (See Jonas' line for children). EMURY GRIFFITH ALTIZER m. 1855 at age 20 Eliza Delong aged 21, (dau. Ormond and Sarah Delong). A. A. Reed, minister. Floyd records show: Elizabeth AltizeT, widow, aged 26, dau. Oramon and Sarah Delong m ...Jan.

26 16, 1866 William Turner aged 24. Did Elizabeth fib about her age at one marriage or another'? Emery G. had: 1. Callyhill. 2. Margaret m. at age 16 on Aug. 26, 1879 Madison Dulaney aged 36. ELIZABETH ALTIZER b. 1832 m. (1)--Waggoner. (2) on Aug. 18, 1881 at 49 yrs. Solomon Akers, widower, aged 49, son of William and Lydia Akers, Minister A. G. Wells. Solomon Akers' first wife. was Armanda Lester of Floyd Co. dau. Charles and Sarah Lester, whom he m. Mar. 20, 1856 when he was 23 and she 20 years old. Ill .. ELIAS ALTIZER (Son of Emera Altizer Sr. and we be.­ lieve, Mary Pitzer Altizer) b. between 1771 and 1781. Left Montgome,ry after 1803. Perhaps lived first in Ken­ tucky. The 1840 census shows him in Lynn Township, Posey Co., Indiana. At this time his eldest son John was married, living in the same place, and listed as the head of a separate household. Elias probably died before 1850, as he is not listed in that census. In Elias' family in 1840 were, besides John: 1 male 60-70 (Elias himself) 1 male 20-30 2 males 15-20 · 1 male 5-10 1 female 40-50 (wife, probably Thurzy b. 1798 in Tennessee) 1 female 10-15 1 female 5-10 1 female under 5. One of the sons between 15 and 20 must have been Elias Jr. We- think the son between 5 and 10 was named David, for in 1860 we find a David Altizer aged 29, a miner, born in Tennessee, living in the household of Le,o-. nard Altizer, .son of Elias' son John, both to be given below. JOHN ALTIZER (Son of Elias) b. 1810 in Indiana. In 1850 he was a miner, owning real estate $150; in 1860

27 farmer; 1840 census shows him in Indiana; others in Grant County, Wisconsin-in 1850 in Eastern District; in 1860 and 1870 in Smelzer township, Smelzer Grove P. O.-Married abt. 1832 Rebecca Hurst of Posey County, Indiana, who was born in Tenn. in 1815. About 1871 or 2 John and two brothers, with all of John's family except eldest son Leonard, moved to California. John's children were: 1. Leonard b. 1883 in Indiana ; m. abt. 1859 Eliza­ beth Summerville b. in England abt. 1838. In 1860 census he was miner in Grant eo. Wisc., in 1870 farm- er, Smelzer township Grant Co. Wis~ Ch.:. . Leonard Scott b. 1860 Wisc. ; m. 1885 Catherine C. Thomas of Big Patch, Platteville, Wisc. Mary b. 1862 Wis. m. William Wirt. Mary buried Markus, Iowa. Ch. : a. Otis. b. Rosina m. Anderson. Richard b. Wis. Buried Markus, Iowa. M. Jennie Williams of Platteville, Wisc. Ch. : a. Loren, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. b. Scott, Minn. c. Lielda m. Wilbur Hodgeon, Pierson, Iowa. d. Laura m. Arvid Anderson, Cherokee, Iowa. 2. Mary Ann b. 1835 in Illinois; m. William Wilkin­ son of Platteville before 1860. 3. Thurza b. 1837 in Indiana; m. before 1860 John Fortner, Platteville. 4. John M. b. 1839 in Indiana. Union soldier. M. oe­ fore 1870. 5. Melissa b. 1841 in Indiana. M. before 1870 Ed­ mund Crabtree of Platteville. 6. Sarah Frances b. 1847 in Wisc. M. before 1870 George Newcomb, Platteville. 7. David (Dale) b. 1876. Wisc. DAVID (?) b. 1831 in.Tenn. In 1860 lived in household of Leonard Altizer, Smelzer Grove P. 0. and was a miner. ELIAS ALTIZER (Son of Elias Sr.) b. in Indiana 1822. Miner in Grant Co. Wisc. Eastern Dist. 1850, M. 2.bt.

28 1843 Maria.--b. 1825 in Vermont. Had~: 1. George w. b. 1844 in Indiana. 2. Mary E. b. 1847 in Wisc. 3. John W. b. 1849 in Wisc. In Elias' household in 1850 lived also Thurzy Altizer aged 52 b. in Tenn. and ELI J. ALTIZER aged 19, miner, b. in Indiana; and SARAH A. ALTIZER aged 17 b-in Indiana. These thre.e we believe to be wife and younger children of old Elias, mother, brother and sister of Elias, head of this house­ hold. Three of the sons of Elias are said to have gona to California. Perhaps all four went. IV WILLIAM ALTIZER (Son of Emera Altizer Sr. and.. we believe, Mary Miller Altizer). We know nothing of the mar1ia~e and descendants of William. V DAVID RILEY ALTIZER (Son of Emera and Mary Mil­ lerAltizer) b.abt. 1785; m .. Susan--;d. abt. 1860; mov­ ed to Tazewell County, Virginia, after several of his chil­ dren had been born, but we belie:ve before 1827 ; lived near Cedar Bluff P. Q. Children: MARY (Polly} m. by Rev. Wm. McGuire, June 18, 1829, to Thomas Christian (cousin of Annie's husband. See be­ low). Had: 1. Mathias. 2. George. 3. Lovica. 4. Susan. 5. Sal­ lie. 6- Lillie. ANNIE. From Tazewell records: "Thomas Christian and Anna Altizer were joined in Matrimony by me Oct. 1836. Signed David Payne." Had: 1. Bob. 2. Tom Christian m. Eup-hemie J..1. Chambers Mar. 20, 1865. 3. Jackson. 4. Maston. 5 .. Hanna. 6. Susan. WILLIAM (Billie.) b. in Montgomery Co. Is said to have left there 1832. Patented abt. 5000 a. in Tazewe,11 near

29 the Buchanan line; d. at Harmon, Va. Tazewell Co. Conf. soldier. From Taze,well records: "I do certify to the clerk of the County Court of Tazewell· that I have joined together in the holy state of matromony according to the forms and cerimones of the Methodist Episcopal church by licens issued from the clerk and by publica­ tion the following marriages; viz, by publication ( . of bans) Jan. 20, 1839 William Altizer and Alice Harmon. Signed Wm. McGuire." M. (2) Louvisa Asbury; (3) Zip­ pie Wyatt. Will prob. Feb. 1892. Had: 1. John A. m. Martisha Nelson June 21, 1861. Ch.: David. A Daughter. 2. Adam m. Elizabeth Stevenson Dec. 7, 1865. 3. Thomas Vernon Altizer m. Lillie C. Christian (reared in Buchanan). His will prob. July 1894. Had; D. W. Altizer, of Dallas, Texas. A son who lives at homeplace in Tazewell. Others. 4. Riley _b. near Harmon,· Tazewell Co. Oct. 7, 1847 ; d. May 5, 1912. In Confed. Army during last yr. of war. . 1vI. Mary L. Brown, b. near Richlands, Va. Sept. 11, 1847; d. Dec. 10, 1920. Had: William Fulton (Richlands, Va.). Hannah Elizabeth m. Levi H. Davis (Buchanan Co.). John Thomas (Buchanan Co.). Nora Lovisa m. William Reed (Pleasant Hill, Taze­ well Co.). Nancy L. m. Albert Bandy. James B. (Richlands) m. Erie Ethel Burke. Ch.: a. Elmer Kyle. b. Reba Brady. c. Roy Fred. d. Lacy Howard. e. James Alfred. f. Lucille Alline. g. Goldie Marie. 5. William m. Samantha Ward. Had: William ff. World War Veteran. 6. James m. Sarah Christian. 7. David. 8. Rutha-Susan m. William Ne.Ison Jan. 19, 1859. 9. Nancy m. Noah Anderson.

80 10. Henry D. (son of second wife). 11. Joseph_ E. (Bandy, Va.). KATIE m. July 27, 1837 by- Rev. Wm. McGuire to John Christian. LILLIE "Richard Gates and Lilly Altizer m. 6th of Sept. 1840 by Elder Wm.Henkel." Had: 1. William Gates. 2. Dan Gates. 3. Susan Gates. JOHN A. m. July 16, 1841 by Rev. Wm. Henkel to Sally Beavers. Confed. soldier. Lived near Cedar Bluff, Taze­ well Co. Had: 1. Bob. 2 Susan. 3. Jane. SALLIE From '·A list of mariedgs 1845: "I do hereby sertify that I joined in mattermoney on the 10th of Sept. 1845 William Christian and Sally Altizer. Signed Wm. Henkel." Had : 1. William. 2. Maston. 3. Susan. 4. Jane. 5. Sallie~ TOM m. to Rebecca Beavers July 31, 1851 by Wm. Mc­ Guire of the M. E. Church. Confederate soldier. Lived on Clear Fork Creek. Had : 1. James. 2. Alexander m. Nancy Whitaker. 3. Mathias. 4. Susan m. Geo. Baldwin Sept. 30, 1866. DAVID RILEY b. in Tazewell Co. Aug. 17, 1827; d. near Cherokee, Texas, June 20, 1901. Lived first near Pike­ ville,"Ky. Confederate soldier. From mar. records: "I do certify that on the 9th day of Aprial 1847 I joined Riley Altizer and Louisa Jane Stevenson in holey wedlock. Signed John Sizemore." Had: 1. John F. m. (1) Ellen Salyer; (2) Mrs. Mattie Wil­ liams Cox (no children). Had: Emma. Jim. Fannie. May. Oliver. Julia. 2. Thomas b. Nov. 16, 1855; m. Sarah Jane Gates who d. 1933. Had: Genoa m. J. P., Sallee. Ch.: a. Rex. b. Darrell. Warner m. Bertha Taylor. Ch.: a. Billie b. Lerline. c. Buster. d. Callie. e. Doris. f. -Deloris.

81 Mattie m. R. E. Taylor (cousin of Warner's Wife). Had: a. Verna Mae. b. Cashes. c. Sarah. d. Tom. e. R. E. f. Andrew. g. Hattie.. h. John F. i. Cora Belle. j. Jim. k. Basil. I. Damon. Hattie m. James Hughes. Ch.: a. Odra. b. Infant. Cora m. Jno. F. Allison. Adopted: Cecil Wayne. Willie Belle m. Billie Russell Cauthorn. Lives at Sonora, Texas. Dollie m. L. S. Adams. Ch.:· a. Dayne. b. Frank. c .Billy. d. Blynn. e. Tom. f. Dollie Bell. Eunice m. C. N. Sutton. Ch- : a. J. C. Sutton. b. Olin Sutton. c. A. L. Sutton. Olin m. Stelle Cauthorn (sister of Billie Russell). Ch.: a. Ora. b. Blanche. c. Jim Bob. d. Infant. 3. Jim m. Mary Waller. Had: Austin. Zora. Sallie. Laura. 4. Caroline m. Jimmie Whitt. (Brother of Billie who m. Eveline, No. 5.) From records: James B. White m. Mary C. Altizer Sept. 6, 1865. White, Whitt, and Witt are often used for the same family in old records. Had: Abbie. Byrd. George. Riley. Frank. Charlie. Evelyn. Lizzie. Florence. Henry. Nora. 5. Eveline m. Billie Whitt (Wm. 1\1 Witt) Dec. 27, 1865. Had: John. Jim. Oscar.. Sarah. Mary. Laura. Crockett. 6. Lillie m. (1) Marion Likens; (2) George Lane. Had: Mary Likens,· and Lane children: Madie. John. Ella. Lucy. Russell. Katie. Winnie. 7. Laura m. W. C. May. Had: Dexter. Edith. Bernice. Clarence. 8. Emma m. C. D. Dean. Had: Shannon. Verdie. Shelton. Sherman. Bunt. Dayton. C. D. Jr. In Tazewell records were two Altizers whom we could not place: Catherine Altizer m. Wesley B.aldwin Feb. 20, 1865; John Altizer m. Sarah Ann Baldwin Apr. 3, 1856. From the dates they seem to be old David's grandchildren; perhaps Tom Altizer's children. Another daughter of his married a Baldwin and often seve~ al children married into one neighboring famiiy. VI JONAS ALTIZER (Son of Emera and Mary Miller Altiz­ er) b. 1791 or 1792; d. Aug. 1861. Lived at home-place. M. (1) Aug. 28, 1819 (bond dated Aug. 21) Sarah (Sal­ ly) Ratcliffe, who d. abt. 1858, dau. Nathan and Polly Farmer Ratcliffe; (2) Sarah (Sally) Simpkins b. 1819, d. Feb. 1887. Mar. record dated Sept. 22, 1859 with nota­ tion: "The fore going was not received in time to be re­ turned to the auditor with the March list." Jonas' age given as 67 in one record; 68 in another, his occupation farming; both born in and residents of Montgomery. Her parents Robert and Elizabeth Simpkins. Grandfather James Simpkins, ,vill prob. Montgomery 1834. Sarah Ratcliffe and Jonas had: WILLIAM RATCLIFFE ALTIZER lived near Chestnut Ridge, Montgomery. Confederate, soldier; d. Nov. 1863 (fam. Bible record) or Dec. 1, 1863 (Confederate re­ cords). M. March 4, 1852 by Rev. Owen Summer. "at her father's," Nancy Epperly b. Dec. 21, 1831 5 miles south of Floyd Courthouse: d. Dec. 16, 1916; dau. John Ep­ perly (b. Jan. 11, 1791 in Md.; son of Jacob Epperly Jr. and wife Hannah) who m. Mar. 10, 1814 Nancy Pharis b. May 13, 1794 ( dau. Amariah Pharis, m. Franklin Co. by Rev. Randolph Hall Jan. 27, 1791 to Elizabeth Behe.J­ er, dau. David Beheler Mar. bond dated Jan. 10, 1791). Had: 1. Henry A. b. Dec 11, 1852 d. Aug. 1907, Arnolds­ burg, w. Va. M. (1) Mary Ferrell Jan. 1, 1882; (2) ~ar. 28, 1895 Julie Hoskins. Ch.:

33 Ocie m. Mr. Parsons. Ferrell. Eulalia (child of sec. wife). P •'))1'eJJ_, · 2. Ma~garet A. V. b. Jan. 21, 1855, d. Sept. 11, 1898 : m. Feb. 25, 1874 Taze H. Walters. Ch.. Dan m. Alma Vest. Ch. : Oryx and another son. Charlie Spanish American War. Veteran. D. un­ married. Roxie m. Joe Martin. Ch.: Cluster, Ivy, and others. Kyle died in West Virginia. Myrtle m. Mr. Kuzel (architect) , G Ien Ellyn, N. J. Two children. Effie m. twice. New York City. William died in youth. Grover, Norton, Va. Vernie. 3. Daniel Monroe b. Sept. 18~ 1856 d. Nov. 25, 1926- M. Mar. 4, 1891 Delia J. Lindamood (dau. Daniel Lindamood and Sarah Ann Buckley Lindamood b. Surry Co. N. C. Sept. 14, 1832, d. Mar. 29, 1908, dau. Alexander Buckley b. Dec. 12, 1797 in N. C. who m. (1)- Miss Golden: (2) Martha Hoberd Samuel b. Mar. 18, 1809. D2.,niel Lindamood son of John Lindamood (Wythe Co.) and Barbara Burkett Lindamood, whose mother nee Musser). Ch.: Clarence Stanley, World War Veteran; m. Ida Mae Arrington. Ch- : a. Sara Mae. b. Stanlia Frances. Rosa m. Charles V. Bray. Ch.: John Daniel. 4. Rufus Everett b. Jan. 18~9. M. June 8, 1892 Loula Tice, dau. Alma Brame Tice b. Oct. 25, 1851, d. J~n. 3, 1928 (dau. John I. Brame b. Jan. 15 1814, d. Oct. 15, 1896; m. June 20, 1843 Martha J. Crenshaw, b. Au·g. 15, 1825, d. June 5, 1861) and John William Tice, Confederate soldier, b. Feb. 15, 1835, m. Sept. 15, 1870, d. Nov. 23, 1910 (son of Manassah Tice b. Jan. 24, 1796, d. Feb. 28, 1840, m. Dec. 4, 1828 Cynthia Dodd, dau. Benjamin Dodd). Had:

34 Everett Ray (Dr.) Norfolk, Va. World War Veteran. M. Henri Fortune. Ch. : a. Jean. b. Ray. Harold Jennings m. Nancy Allen, Bluefield, W. Va. 5. Jesse Pleasant, Chicago. b. May 26, 1861. 6- William Harvey b. Sept. 2, 1863, d. Mar. 12, 1870 aged 6 yrs., 6 mos. RUSSELL RATCLIFFE ALTIZER, Confederate soldier, b. Apr. 14, 1828, d. Aug. 18 1877; m. in Patrick Co. Sept. 1, 1858, by wife's father, Daniel Conner, Annie, Conner, b. May 8, 1836, d. June 12, 1927. Her mother was Annie Al&ander Conner. Russell lived near Chestnut Ridge, Montgomery.. Had: 1. Leander J. b. Oct. 9, 1859. M. Aug. 23 1881 Cyn­ thia Akers, dau. Howard Akers (son of Jacob Akers who m. Dec. 21, 1796 Ruth Howard, dau. Sir William Howard, immigrant from England, Boling Rodgers surety) and Susan Garnan Akers (dau. Adam Garnan and Susan Kefauver Garnan). Howard and "Susan­ nah" m. by Richard Buckingham Apr. 12, 1831. Leand­ er had: Charlie Lee b. July 10, 1882. Lives near Lexington, Va. M. Nora Switzer (dau. Charlie Lee Switzer and Annie Elizabeth Markham Switzer). Ch.: a. Garland. b. Arnold. c. Beatrice. d. Christine. e. Katherine. f. Harold d. Oct. 11, 1927. g. Alma. h. Bernice. Effie. Cora m. Joe Altizer. Ch. : a. Arthur m. Fannie Woolwine; 3 children. b. Susie m. Lee Underwood; 6 children. c. Howard m. Hazel Altizer ; 2 children. d. Katie m. Robert Anderson; 2 children. e. Raymond m. Ethel Woolwine; 1 child. f. Oscar. g. Harry. h. Rosa. i. Richard. j. Ruth. k. Rena. William m. 1\fartha Kelley. Ch.~

35 a. Reuben. b. Robert m. Eliz.a.beth Robinson; 2 children. c. :Ralph. d. Richard. e. Lenard. Olye m. Bill Shillings. Ch. : a. Inez. b. Mary. c. Katherine. Vivian m. Louis Shillings. Ch. : a. Edward. b. Margaret. c. Thomas. d. Frank. e. Bessie. f. Norman. g. Dorothy. h. Edith Marie. Harry m. Annie Crist. Ch. : a. Marcia. b. Katherine. Bessie m. Tom Shillings. Ch. : a. Cynthia. b. Marcell c. Helen. d. Donald. 2. William Reed b. Jan. 24 1868 ; m. Lena Scaggs dau. Humphrey and Lila Scaggs. Ch.: Harley died young. Hiley m. Annie, Meredith dau. Ezra and Josie Mere­ dith. 3. Corrilda J. b. Apr. 5, 1865, d. Jan . 8, 1925, m. John Akers son of Elswick and Sally Akers. Ch.: Maud Akers- Mattie Akers m .. --Young. Hettie. Clinton. Raymond. Amy Jane m. Willie Teel. Lyman. 4. George W. Altizer b. July 22, 1872; m. Alabama Altizer, dau. Stuart. Ch.: Waitman m. Ollie Suphin. Gari m. Sadie Dulany. May m. Sowers.. Trigg m. Caldwell. Gay m. Esle,y Manning. Annie. Donald. Alvin. Paul. 5 Henrietta A. Altizer b. Sept 5, 1870, m. J. Harvey Scaggs, son of Lewis Scaggs (b. Sept. 2, 1846, d. Nov. 22, 1924. Son of Wm. Scaggs. Se.e Peradine, Nancy Akers' line) and Clarissa Duncan Scaggs (dau. Riley Duncan and Mahalie Akers Duncan). Adopted dau. Henrietta and J. Harvey: Elva Mae b. May 6, 1900, m. Dale Mann. Ch.: a. David L. b. Dale. Jr. c. Wanda Lee. d. Patsy Mae. 6. Thomas H. b. Mar. 9, 1876, m. Lizzie Hatcher. Lives at .old home place. Ch.: Roy m. Avis Hilton. Hubert m. Sutphin. Ruby.

36 JOHN RATCLIFFE. ALTIZER (Called Lame John). Lived near Chestnut Ridge, Montgomery. B. 1832, Mar­ riage record. Apr. 11, 1857, Montgomery Co ..i John R. Altizer, age 25 Mary Pharis age 21 Single. Birthplace Montg. Single. Birthplace Floyd. Residence Montgomery Resident Montgomery Parents: Jonas and Sarah John B. and Rachel Pharis. Altizer. (John B. Pharis was for Occupation farmer. years Sheriff and tax collect- Ceremony performed by or in Montgomery County. Owen Summer. Both spoke German). Mar- riage bond of John B. Pharis and Rachel Rupe dated Montg. Dec. 20, 1823, Henry Rupe surety. John R. Altizer had: 1. Ruth E. m. Akers. 2. Nancy A. 3. Martha J. m. George Burk. 4. Jonas L. m. Hulda Olinger Jan. 2, 1900. 5. Archie. 6. John. MARTHA ALTIZER (Patty) m. Anderson Alley Aug. 19, 1841. Richard Buckingham minister, bond dated Aug. 6, 1841. Lived near Christiansburg. Ch.: 1. Nathan d. in Civil War. 2. Stuart d. in Civil War. 3. Susan Elizabeth m. Millard F. Ake.rs (See line of Emery Jr.) Ch.: Mae m. Bob. Shelton. Maggie m. Claud Dudley. Frank m. Maude Cheatham. Figgatt m. Maggie Bourke. Bessie m. Sam King. Ch.: a. Edith. b. Catherine. 4. Adeline F. b. Jan. 11, 1851, d. Sept. 7, 1930, m. Joseph McDaniel. Ch.: Edgar. Essie. 5. Rachel m. Humphrey Martin. Ch.: George m. Ina Webber. Grace. Dewey m. Cndlip. John m. Berta--. Jim m. Ida Roberts. Edgar­ Ernest m. Florence Wackerly. SOPHIA ALTIZER m. David Alley (brother of Anderson who m. Martha) Dec 23, 1840; bond Dec. 12- Jon~s and

37 Elias Altizer surety. Lived on Little River near Broad Shoals. Had. : 1. Richard (Graduate of Milligan College. Confed­ erate soldier). M. (1) Miss Crandel. (2) Jennie Cor­ rell. (3) Lydia Correll. ( 4) Susan Atkins. Ch.: Maude m. Harman. Inez. Ray. A son. Ch. of last wife: Bettie m. Corren. David m. Irma Broce. Forest. Ethel- A dau. 2. Marinda b. Apr. 27, 1847, d ..Aug. 7, 1914. M. George Altizer (See line of John). 3. Charlotte m. Sutphin. Had : Docia m. Marshall. Delia. Other children. Children of Jonas Altizer's second wife: MARY E. m. John Jones, widower, blacksmith, son ·of Jacob and Hester A. Jones. M. V. Smith, minister. Ch.: 1. Jacob. 2. Mary. 3. Jonah._ 4. Linda. 5. Nannie. 6. · Lily. 7. John. OCTAVIA L. m. Jeremiah Thornton, M. ·v. Smith, min­ ister. Octavia b. Montgomery Co. Jeremiah b. Pulaski Co. Residence Montg. Parents Peter and· Susan Thorn­ ton. Occupation f~rmer. They: lived at Jonesville, Va. until children grown, when they moved to Summer, Washington. Ch. : 1. Alice Thornton m. (1) John Wynn of Jonesville. (2) Mr. Kelley of Ky. (3) Mr. Elder, Summer, Wash. Ch.: Johnnie Wynn. 2. Montie Thornton m. Flora Crounce of -Sumn1er, Wash. Had.: Louise. Enna. Jackie. 3. John Thornton m. Ethel--of Seattle, Wash. 4. · Lily m. (1) Dan Pennington of Jonesville who d. abt. 1910; (2) Mr. White. Ch.: Fred, Estelle, and Randal Pennington. 5. Lee, of Sumner Wash. 6. Bradley, Sumner, Wash. RACHEL m. John Hite. Lived and died at Jonesville, Va. BETTY m. Alec Holt of Radford. NAN m. John Richardson.

38 WILSON W. (Wilse) m. Martha E. Akers. VII ELIZABETH ALTIZER REED (Betsy) (dau. of Emera Altizer Sr. and Mary Miller Altizer) m. George Reed, Revolutionary soldier, whose will was probated Flo~d Co. Va. Dec. 1837. She lived until at least 1858. Ch-: ELIJAH REED m. Nov. 25, 1829 Dicy Altizer, dau. Emery Jr. MARK REED. There were several Mark Reeds. We believe that a son of this Mark is one who we were told married a Re.ed, his first cousin. dau. of Elijah Reed. This son is buried in the old Altizer cemetery. He lived to be. over 100 years old; his wife 104. They had: Otey. Willis. Bartholomew and others. EMERY A REED b.. 1803, d. 1870 of consumption; m. Jan. 27, 1826 Mariam Dulaney. dau. William Dulaney, son of Samuel Dulaney, whose will prob. July 1812, Mont­ gomery. George Reed surety for Emery's marriage. Some of the following may have.been children of Elizabeth and George Reed, although there is nothing to show whether this or another of the several George Reeds was referred to : OLIVE REED m. June, 2, 1818 Griffith Reed (son of Peter, son of Humphrey Reed Sr., son of George and Anna Reed). George Reed given as father of Olive and surety for bond. NANCY REED m. Nov. 25, 1825 Humphrey Reed. She is given as dau. of George Reed. This may have been Humphrey Jr. grandson of George and Anna, or he may have been of the other group of Humphrey Reeds. See Reed chapter. MARY REED m. Feb. 18, 1826 to Jas. Parmer. She is said to be dau. George Reed, with George Jr. (broth6r) as surety for bond. 39 GEORGE A. REED m. De.c. 31, 1829 Anna Altizer, dau. Emery Jr. Had: 1. Ellen m. 1861 at age 18 Daniel Akers aged 23, son of William and Lydia Akers. Jno. C. Hall, minister. 2. George Andrew Re.ed m. 1865 at age 20 Malinda Hall aged 18, dau. Robt. and Mary Hall. M. V. Smith, minister. 3. Jonathan Reed. 4. Miram Reed. GEORGE REED JR. m. Nancy Scaggs Nov. 2, 1821, Joseph Scaggs and Emery Altizer surety. This George is more likely to have been son of Betsy and George than George. A. above, since EmeryJunior was surety. Emery Junior had a stepson· George Reed, but that one mar­ ried s·arah Graham. See line of John Altizer. VIII NANCY ALTIZER AKERS (dau. Emera Sr. and Mary Miller Altizer) m. Adam Akers. Children: MICHAEL AKERS m. Louisa Belden, dau. John and Han­ nah Ayres Belden, who owned a large estate in Montgo­ mery County. Had: 1- Washington Akers m. Sally Re.ed. Ch. : Laura Akers m. Leh Altizer son of Jesse R. (John's line). Lila Akers m. Wesley Altizer son of Jesse R. 2. Wallace Akers m. Ellen Sowers. ELSWICK AKERS .m. Sally Rader. BLACKBURN AKERS was married twice. EMERY AKERS b. 1809; d. in Montgomery 1853 of pneumonia; occupation miller. m. Elizabeth--: had: 1. Amos G. Akers. b. 1833, m. at 22 Apr. 22, 1855 to Eliza Thompson aged 19, b. 1836- dau. Clayborn and Naomi Thompson. Minister A. A. Reed. (Clayborn Thompson was son of Elisha Thompson and wife Nancy Helton Thompson, dau. Samuel Helton, ,vho were m. July 10, 1820. Elisha Thompson's will prob. Floyd 1848).

40 · JACKSON AKERS m. June 25, 1840 Evaline Reed, dau. Griffith Reed. Bond dated June 12, Jonas ·Altizer affirmed age of groom. Minister Austin Hylton. Had: 1. Peradine Akers b. 1841 ;· m. at 21 in 1862 Andrew Scaggs aged 23, son o~ William .and Miriam Reed Scaggs. Andrew A. Reeq, minister. William Scaggs m. "Maram" Reed, dau. Humphrey Ree4 Sr. 9n Feb. 4, 1825. Peter Howard, minister. Peter Reed (brother of Maram) surety. 2. Elias Akers. 3. Celia Akers b. 1844; m. at 18 in 1862 Jacob H. Lucas aged 20, son of Wilson_and Mary Lucas. A1ndrew Reed minister. Had: Theodocia Lucas b. 1875; m. at:. 17- in 1892 James David Pharis aged 21. Her brother present; o.~th of groom for age. (Jas. David Pharis son of James R~y­ burn Pharis and Catherine Pharis, whose maiden name was also Pharis. James Reyburn P. son of John B. Pharis, who m. Dec. 25, 1823 Rachel Roope., Peter Howard minister. See Jonas' line. Theodocia and J as. David Pharis had: a. Claude m. Vivian Sutphin. floyd. b. Haden E. m. Myrtle Maberry, Christiansburg. c. Dewey C. m. Irene Hilkert, Lucerne, Indiana. d. Treva E. m. Albert B. Correll, Christiansburg. e. Everett G. m. Helen Stalls, Jersey City, N. J. 4. . Griffith Akers b. 1852; m. at 24 on Dec. 21, 1876 Martha ("Puss") Altizer aged 18. dau. Elias E. 5. Andy Akers m. Lila Mangess. Ch. : Laura m. Leonard Williamson. Ch. : a. Lattie. b. Alva. c. Evelyn. d. Lile. Eviem.. --. George T. m. Posey Lester, (dau. Mary Wright and Chas. D. Lester, who live at homeplace of first John Lester, Rev. Soldier) . Ch. : a. Reginald Akers. b. Mary Akers.

41 6. Adam m. Jennie Dobbins. 7. Lila Akers m. Hum­ phrey Scaggs. 8. ~an m. Teel. 9. Susan b. 1856; m. 1878 at 22 yrs. Creed T. Akers, -aged· 27, a teacher, son of Samuel Akers (who m. on Nov. 26, 1840 Delila Altizer, dau. E:qiery Jr.). Adam Akers witnessed mar. Susan and Creed; Isaac Reed Minister. They had: . ' Luther Akers m. Eugenie Altizer-,dau. Merit (See John's line). Wade m. Maude, Thompson. Clyde m. Joe Weaver. Mollie m. Ed Roope. 10. Isabel Akers b. 1859; m. at 17 in 1876 V. Stuart Altizer aged 23; Se.e John's line. STEPHEN-: AKERS. MARY AKERS m. Hiram Thompson. SUSAN AKERS. NANCY AKERS m. Isaac Reed (?). Isaac Reed was a Dunkard preacher. Many couples in this chart were married by him.

42 Daniel Monroe Altizer, Born 18S6, died 1926. CHAPTER I The Early Germans We give our permission, here at the start, for any reader who is so minded to skip this brief opening chap­ ter. We shall not be offended. But those who have good strong hearts and don't mind straining their brains somewhat may find it diverting to go through time, back past the time of Christ; of Moses, of the Pyramid-build­ ers, past any written history, to conside,r for .a moment our early ancestors. Ten thousand years ago, the region of South Russia between the Black and the Caspian seas was probably covered by water.. This inland sea gradually dried up, leaving first marshes, then grassy plains--a fine country for cattle. The plains became a center of accumulation for barbaric nomad tribes who lived in tents and wagons, and wandered about, stopping wherever they found pas­ tures for their cattle. A number of these tribes must have intermingled sufficiently to develop and use one tongue. What they called themselves is not known. Indeed, their very language is long since dead, and all we know of it is that certain root words, such as father and mother, are similar in various languages, which are thus known to be · descendants of the ancient parent tongue. We refer to it as Indo-European, or Aryan. The tribes who spoke the language did not all re­ main in South Russia. The fecund region has. been com~ pared to a cloudbank, raining out tribes southward and vvestward. Some -0f these became the. ancestors of the speakers of Sanskrit in India; the Persians; the Greeks; the Slavs; the Romans; the Teutons, including Germans, Dutch, Scandinavi~ns, and English. Not in a direct line. nor at .once did these races evolve; the tribes wandered about, fought, intermarried, merged, took new names, and gradually changed their speech to a degree which made .their kinship all but unrecognizable. Only within the

44 last six or eight hundred years, or in some cases, yet more recently, did they become the races we know .today. Of course our forefathers were among these ancients, driving their cattle here and there. Progress was slow .in early times. In the year 118 B. C.. some four thousand years or so after this first glimpse, is the first mention of the Germans by name. We find them still wandering, and of course still fighting, this time against some Romans. In 55 B. C. while Julius Caesar was governor of Roman Gaul (now France), which extended to the Rhine, he drove back two German tribes who had settled west of that river. In 98 A. D., Tacitus, a Roman historian, described the Germans as a rough barbarian people, tall of stature, with fair skins and blue eyes. They lived in rude villages in their gloomy forests, wore garments of skins, and the men spent their time chiefly in war and the chase. Their spirits were free and independent as befitted rude war­ riors. The women cared for the cattle and raised scanty crops. They worshiped Woden, the god of the sky; Thor, the, thunder god, and other ancient deities. Already they had a poetry of their own, Tacitus says. The warriors would advance to battle singing hymns to Thor, their shields held before their mouths to "clang out a greater volume of sound." And ever since, one writer tells us, no matter what refinements have developed in German literature, there still remains in it "this martial clang of shields, the distant thunder of tribal religion, a hard sonorous music." The ancient poetry remained unrecorded, for not until the fourth century was a book written in a Teutonic tongue, and this was a translation of the Bible made by illfilas, native missionary to the Goths, a German tribe. He first had to invent the Gothic alphabet, combining Greek, Latin, and the old Runic lette.rs to do so. It is

45 these old Gothic· characters, even though modernized, which ·make a page of German look so formidable. There. were three principal tongues in Northern Europe: East Germanic, or Gothic ; North Germanic, from which came the Scandinavian languages; and West Germanic, from which came primitive English, primitive Dutch and primitive German. After a while, primitive German split up into dialects, of which the chief were Low German of the lowland country of the north, and High German of the mountainous region of central and south Germany. Our ancestors spoke High German. The Roman Empire died about 493 A. D. Then Europe, which had for some time been more or less under the dominion of the Empire, fell into a number of 'flimsy kingdoms of barbarian tribes. Such was the Frankish kingdom which included Germany and France. Charle­ magne was its strongest ruler. But in 843, the two coun­ tries became separate entities. Germany had at last been born. It was composed of states called duchies, each ruled by a duke, 1 and over all was a king, much as our Uni~ed States have governors and a president. In 936, the title of Emperor was revived and bestowed upon the king. He was elected by the duchies and by Bohemia, which had its own sub-king instead of a duke, but was never­ theless a part

46 CHAPTER 2 The Coat of Arms The Althausen coat of arms was recorded in the year 1601, when Rudolph of the House of Habsburg was not only Emperor, but King of Bohemia and of Hungary. Much later, a student of German heraldry named Sieb­ macher included it in a Wappenbuch, or book on heraldry. This book is an authoritative source for contin­ ental arms. Translated from the German, the description fol­ lows: Althausen "Arms of the imperial head-surgeon (chirur­ geon) Hans Althaasen in the book of genealogy of the German agent at Venice, George Birkell, dated Prague, Dec. 1st, 1601 A. D. "Shield divided by a chevron in red and white (silver) ; upper part (or chief) in black, two golden griffons facing each other; below, on a green hill, a white ( or silver) mansion with blue shield. "Crest crowned; a griffon in gold over five pea­ cock feathers in natural colors. Mantle gold and black, and red and silver." Hans, Johan and Johannes. are the German forms of John, which we later find to be a family name among the Altizers. It means 'the mercy or grace of the Lord'. Rudolph, the Emp-eror, in whose. court Hans was head-surgeon, lived at Prague, _the capital of Bohemia. There of course Hans lived also. Who George Birkell was, whether a contemporary of Hans, or of Siebmacher who compiled the Wappenbuch, is not clear, nor do we know his duties as agent. And whether Hans went with the Emperor Rudolph to Venice and other parts of Italy is uncertain. Rudolph found it politic to be subservient to the Pope, though most of the Bohemian nobles had

47 by this time become Protestants, and he no doubt jour­ neyed back and forth to Italy, accompanied by his en­ tourage, stopping at Venice, one of the most important commercial cities of the time. Hans ·was possibly not a Bohemian, but a member of some kindred nation of Germany. Many Germans had settled previous to this time in the north of Bohemia, where Prague is situated. It has been impossible without more definite i~for­ mation and a great deal more money than we could spend, to tr.ace the. f an1ily in Europe. A German count­ ess living in Hollywood, California, told one of the pres­ ent writers that our name, is not uncommon in Germany; that she knew many Altizers there. A man who has cor­ responded with the custodians of certain German church records also says that the name is not unusual. The meaning is 'old houses.' The modern German spelling is "Althauser" pronounced Ahlt hoyser. It is impossible to say how long_ the family has borne it. Sur­ names did not come f nto general use until the fourteenth century. In heraldry, the shield was often divided into two parts. The upper part, technically called the chief, was the more important device and often the older; in our arms it is the two golden griffons. The griffon is the old­ est of the many monsters blazoned upon arms. His hind­ er parts are those of the lion, his fore parts those of the eagle. An even older device is the chevron, in English armory perhaps the very earliest. Sh-i~lds parted chev­ ron-wise are common in the 15th -eentury. Its angle was acute in the earliest times, often touching the top of the shield as shown in the Althausen arms; in later armory, the angle is blunted. The word chevron means the raft­ ers of a gable roof which meet at the ridge. The lower part of the shield is called the foot. The houses blazoned there pun upon the name. Such puns

48 were often used. Trumpington has two trumpets; Trivet has a three-legged trivet. The houses shown may have been the sort which gave their name to the family. The picture is not unlike ancient castles of Hans' time which are still standing. A description from Wells' Outline of History is of interest: "A German town between 1400 and 1500, em­ bodied all the achievements of progress at that time, although from a modern standpoint much seems·. wanting.... The streets were mostly narrow and ir­ regularly built, the houses chiefly of wood, while al­ most every burgher ke.pt his cattle in the house and the herd of swine which was driven every morning by the town herdsman to the pasture-ground formed. an inevitable part of city life.... The rich burghers had extensive courtyards with large barns inside the town walls. The most opulent of them owned those splendid patrician houses which we still admire even today. But even in the older towns most houses of the 15th century have disappeare.d; only here and there a building with open timberwork and over­ hanging storeys ... reminds us of the style. of archi­ tecture then customary. . . . Internal fittings of houses, even amongst wealthy, were very defective according to modern ideas." Accessories of a coat of arms are the crested helm, mantle and motto. The first is a helmet with a surmount­ ing device. The five peacock f e.athers, .with the upper half of a griffon, constitute the Althausen crest. The peacock with the Germans is the emblem of opulence, the symbol of the Resurrection, the farmer's weather prophet, warning of coming rain storms by its harsh cries. The joining of the crest and helm is often a wreath called a torse, sometimes a coronet or crown as here. shown. In England. the coronet showed the rank of the arms bearer, but in Europe, men of gentle birth show

49 coronets giving slight indication of rank. In our arms therefore, the coronet signifies little. The mantle in its earliest form is seen as two strips of silk attached to the top of the helmet below the crest and streaming like pennants as the rider bent his head and charged. Many assert that the ragged edge repre­ sents the cloak tattered by encounters with the enemy, but it is the result of a style for 'slittered' hems in cloth­ ing. The motto now accompanies all English coats of arms, but few have any antiquity. The older arms both there and on the continent are. without mottoes. The use of arms began about the 12th century. The devices were chosen at will to suit the fancy of the bearer. They had as a rule no significance or symbolism. The legends that certain arms were won in the Holy Land during the Crusades, or granted by ancient kings for heroic deeds in the field are mostly worthless fancies. The chosen design was blazoned upon a man's shield, his surcoat, his pennant and the trappings of his horse, a useful custom in a day when friend and foe aliKe were disguised by armor. Then too, the king's herald could go about a battlefield when the. fighting was done, and easily see who had been killed. In tournaments the arms served as a sort of badge, like the number on a ball­ player's uniform. Arms were also blazoned upon castle doorways, and worn upon finger rings used to seal docu­ mentsJ for when heraldry flourished few except priests cc-uld write.

50 CHAPTER 3 Explorers and Immigrants Almost the entire ancient nobility of Bohemia was driven into exile in the year 1620 by Ferdinand, the Em­ peror who succeeded Rudolph. These nobles had de­ posed Ferdinand as King of Bohemia, though he still ruled the Empire. He recovered the crown of Bohemia by force of arms, andi in retaliation drove the nobles out and confiscated their lands. He also expelled all the peo­ ple who refused to recognize the creed of the Roman Catholic church. A book with the lengthy title "A Collection of Up­ wards of Thirty Thousand Names of Germans, Swiss, Dutch, French and Other Immigrants in Pennsylvania" by Rupp, shows that most of the German immigrants to all parts of America came by ·way of Pennsylvania from a political group of German states called the Palatinate. Bohemia was not of this group. The Upper Palatinate was composed of part of the Bavaria of today. Bavaria bordered on Bohemia. The word 'upper' refers to alti­ \t..lde, and he.nee the . southern part of Germany. TJ,,.. Lower or Rhine. Palatinate was made up of the territory now divided among Bavaria, Baden, Hesse, and Prussia. Our immigrant ancestor came also from the Palatinate. His ·native town was Bingen on the Rhine. River in the grand-duchy of Hesse. Probably his forebears had mi­ grated to Germany when exiled from Bohemia. For a thousand years, or since the Frankish king­ dom split up into France and Germany, a strip of terri­ tory. between these two countries has been the seat of ·wars and the obje.ct of conquests. In 843, it extended from South Germany to the North sea and westward from the Rhine River about 150·imles. It was then, call­ ed Lorraine. Its area has varied from time to time ; first one and then the other country has been in possession of it. Shrunken in ar'ea now, it belongs since the World

51 War to France. The location of Bingen on the west bank of the Rhine no doubt gave rise to the tradition that Emera was from Alsace-Lorraine. He was not from territory now included in these states. but from a region which was part of the older and much larger Lorraine. , Bingen is an ancient town called by the Romans Vincum or Bingium, 15 miles west of the city of Mainz. It is in the angle formed by the junction of the Nahe and Rhine rivers. Over the Nahe near Bingen a Roman named Drusus built in 13 B. C. a bridge which still re­ mains. It was then a town of the Belgae; in 70 A. D., the Romans here inflicted a cruel defeat on the Gauls. The town now has a population of about 9000. It is in the heart of the scenic Rhineland. A writer says: ''How welcome is the change from the militaristic Prussian north to the friendlier and more picturesque land and people of the south of the Rhineland. The tragedy of Germany was the later conversion of all Germany, in­ cluding the easy-going, art-loving, philosophic south and west to the hard Prussian doctrine that "might make right." Instead of the. monotonous level plain of the north, we find fertile valleys, wooded uplands and occa­ sional rounded mountains, and everywhere. ruined cast- les, quaint old cities rich in historic and artistic memories, and peasant costumes gay with color and silver ornaments.... Here is quaint old Bingen where in the 10th century the avaricious Bishop Hatto was de­ voured by rats in the ''Mouse Tower" where he had taken refuge after causing a number of poor people to be burned to death in a barn because they were begging for bread." Nearby are the great grsy rocks where once the Lorelei with her golden hair and ravishing beauty lured mariners to destruction. Here is the Bingerloch~ a whirlpool whose fame helped the growth of the town. The Gothic parish church dates from the 15th century, but it has an 11th century crypt, or vault for burial, beneath it. What chronicles of our people may be en-

52 rolled in the records of this old church? Its romantic associations and beautiful scenery· have made Bingen a famous tourist center. It produces leather, cloth and chemicals. It is and has long been the center for the sale of wines produced in the neighborhood by the terraced vineyards. But you must read elsewhere the fascinating legends of the home of your ancestors. Our immediate concern is with those who came to America. William P·enn influenced most of these immigrants to come. King Charles II had granted him a large tract of land, now Pennsylvania, in payment of a debt owed Penn's father. The. younger Penn had many friends among the German Mennonites, a denomination similar to the Dunkards, from whom the Quakers had borrowed many of their beliefs. A keen business man, he sent out a great number of prospectuses or advertisements de­ scribing the new country ~nd setting forth the advantages to be enjoyed there. The land was fertile and low in price. Just laws and religious freedom were induce­ ments to immigrants. At the time ~f Hans, the German farmers_ had en- - joyed great prosperity, particularly in tbe Palatinate. They "worked fine farms, owned silver plate, lived in comfortable homes, had some capital and were generally admitted to be the best farmers in Europe. Some farms had· been cultivated by the same. family for as many as thirty generations. They were renowned for their indus­ try, wit, independence and intelligence." Because of their satisfactory conditions at home, the Germans had felt no urge to move elsewhere, while the English and Dutch were colonizing the new world. But these happy conditions were changed by the religious struggle known as the Thirty Years War, much of which was fought in the neighborhood of Mainz. The, farmers could no longer thrive on the.ir war-torn fields. Penn's sales-literature arrived at this opportune time. The land-hungry G~rmans left their ruined farms and 53 set sail to America, that new haven of opportunity. Penn induced them to come in groups, cobblers, weavers, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and those of other trades, as well as farmers, so that each might supply some need of the others. They did not do as the English had done, and settle along the courses of rivers, to avoid the. work of clearing the land. The knew that the soil is richest where the trees are thickest; so they plunged into the forests and there established their ho.mes. The best farming land in Pennsylvania is limestone and most of 1t was, and still is, owned by the Pennsylvania Germans, who settled where they meant to stay. Penn's kind treatment won the friendship of the Indians, who did not resent the. Pennsylvanians' settlements as they did the Virginians'. So delighted were the immigrants that they wrote en­ thusiastically to their friends in Germany, and many others followed the first groups to America. Philadel­ phia was the no:rt at which most of them entered. Find­ ing the lands along the coast occupied, these later comers spread rapidly to the south and west. Younger sons of the first immigrants also sought land further on. Says the National Geographic Magazine for July, 1935: "The Pennsylvanian's tendency to migrate is no new phenomenon.... Their first outpouring was in the colonial period, when large numbers moved down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and on into western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. "This was the migration which carried the Lincolns and the Boones! the Caldwells and the Calhouns, the Prestons and the Christians, the Rut­ ledges and the Breckenridges, to say nothing of that large group of Luthe-ran, Reformed, Dunkard and Mennonite pioneers ,vho settled in the Virginia Valley and its highlands."

54 H. G. Wells gives the tnirty years between 1760 and 1790 as the. period when the regions just mentioned were settled. But there were many earlier comers. The Blue. Ridge Mountains had intimidated the . eastern Virginia settlers and prevented their pushing on westward. So it was that the Virginia Valley and its highlands, which George Washington predicted would become 'the garden spot of Virginia,' were left largely unsettled until pioneers came down from the north. But there were some early Virginia explorers of the · section: New River had been discovered by a man named Johnson and three companions about the year 1641- They called it New River because it seemed strange that so large a river should be flowing west, instead of east like those in Tidewater Virginia. In 1671, 64 years after the founding of Jamestown, Major Wood of Fort Henry, now Petersburg, sent out an exploring party. under Thomas Batt. Their mission was to find out about "the ebbing and flowing of the waters on the other side of the mountains, in order to the discovery of the South Sea." In six days they sighted the Blue Ridg­ es, being able to see them at some distance because they found a large savanna, or grassy plain, a little to the east of the mountains. And in 1724, Col. William Byrd says · of the Roanoke Valley: "There is scarce a shrub in view to intercept your prospect, but grass as high as a man on horseback." Batt's party followed the Roanoke Val­ ley through the territory now Campbell, Bedford and Roanoke Counties, then entered Montgomery and touch­ ed Ne,w River about three and one-half miles north of Radford. They continued westward, some writers be­ lieve as far as the salt springs on the Kanawha near Charleston, W. Va. The region remjained uninhabited, however, until after Governor Spottswood made an exploring trip to the south fork of the Shenandoah River in 1716. At this time New River was commonly called Wood's River, in

55 honor of Major Wood who sent out Thomas Batt. All of what° is now Southwest Virginia, West Vir­ ginia, Kentucky~- Ohio, and -the western part of Penn­ sylvania was included in the County of Spottsylvania, laid off in 1720. In fact, Virginia was conceived of as extending indefinitely westward into the unexplored wild­ erness. Orange County was taken from Spotsylvania in 1734, and from part of Orange Augusta was formed in 1745. It contained all the territory west of the Blue Ridges. In 1770 Botetourt was taken from Augusta, and in 1773 Fincastle County was taken from Botetourt. In 1776 Fincastle was abolished by being divided into Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky Counties. Mont­ gomery, in which our immigrant ancestors made their permanent home, was named for a Revolutionary hero, General Richard Montgomery. Relatives of his were early residents of the county. Floyd was cut fro:m Mont­ gomery in 1831, and named for John Floyd, G·overnor at that time. The first justices' court for Montgomery was held the first Tuesday: of January 1777 at Fort Chiswell, now in Wythe County. , Williamsburg was at this time the Capital of Virginia. Patrick Henry was Governor. We return briefly to Augusta County, for it is ne­ cessary to mention the settlement near Staunton made by John Lewis in 1732, before the county was organized. The colonists there were Scotch Irish, from Ulster in the north of Ireland. Tradition says that the second wife. of Emera Altizer, the immigrant, was Scotch-Irish: We found that she was born in what is uow Berkeley Coun­ ty, W. Va., but early Augusta records contain many re­ ferences to her father.. . The Scotch-Irish were originally from Strathclyde, in the southwest of s·cotland. Under James I whose reign began 160.3, the Irish rose against the English be­ cause of their harsh laws; three million acres of their land were confiscat~d~ and the King repeopled it with 56 Scotch, mainly lowlanders from Strathclyde. When many of these later emigrated to the Valley of Virginia, they were called Scotch-Irish, though there was by this time not only a considerable admixture of native Irish blood amongst them, but also English and Welsh. A description of these Strathclyde emigrants strong­ ly suggests certain family traits. Some of Emera's de­ scendants must resemble Scotch-Irish Ma~. "They were tall, lean, hardy and sinewy; ignor­ ant of high living, they had good nerves and diges­ tions.- They were combative, and those who did not fall in with their ways found them not easy to get along with. They were strongwilled and strongly individualistic; more democratic in thought than the English and less inclined to commercal pursuits. To challenge this Scotsman's views of right and wrong roused him to speedy action. He was either quite bad or quite good. In the former respect, he fought, swore, was. given to gaming and racing, and drank plentifully from his whiskey jug. In the latter rE:spect, his morality had a solid ground­ work, being based on general education and on regular attendance at his house of worship. Out­ wardly he was unemotional and not given to dis­ plays of affection. Yet there was more sunshine in his life than is commonly believed. John Knox on~y a few years ago had brought the Protestant faith to Scotland. He insisted on a school in every parish. Thrift had always been a tenet of Protest­ antism and the Scotch fell into the habit of mending their clothes till they would no longer hold together and of saving every nubbin and potato. From a coarse, rough, unruly horde_ of semi-barbarians, scornful of steady labor, the Scot.ch became a reli­ gious, industrious, energetic people, .mindful of the main chance., and able to hold their own against all comers." · In 1718 came the firRt of the Scotch imigrants to 57 America; often an entire group belonged to the same Pre~byterian congr~.gation and were accompanied by their minister. In the fall of 1739, many came to America, landing on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. Many of these soon found their way into the wilder­ ness of Augusta County, because of laws in Pennsylvania restrictive toward the Germans and Scotch-Irish. They were generally farmers and mechanics. Land then cost $10 per hundred acres. Evan's History of Berkeley County says that by the year 1745, the names of An­ derson, Christian, Lewis, Miller, Moore, Thompson, Wil­ son and McDaniel abound in the section. Here also were Riners and Coles. The middle and upper sections of the Shenandoah Valley were settled by these Scotch-Irish, who were well suited to the frontier life. Many of them soon pressed on beyond the mountain barriers into new lands. Within twelve years after the settlement near Staunton, the Valley for a distance of 140 miles, as far south as New River, was occupied. A few bold land-seekers were building cabins on the river near where Radford now stands as early as 1745 ; and in 1748 the Ingles and Draper families founded a settlement at Draper's Mea­ dows; upon its site \Tirginia Polytechnic Institute now stands- The ''meadows" were glades with few trees or marshes and fed herds of buffaloes and deer. Indian raids were a constant menace to these settlers. During one of their depredations, Mrs. Mary Draper Ingles was abducted and forced to work for a while. at salt making on the Kanawha. We shall have occasion to refer in the story of Emera Altizer to the salt works here. Mrs. Ingles escaped and after a journey of hundreds of miles on foot, beset by untold hardships, reached home. The Scotch-Irish settlers were followed very soon by the vast wave af Pennsylvania Germans, of which we have spoken. Many names familiar in 1\1:ontgomer•.r County were found in Rupp's list of Thirty Thousand Immigrants. 58 CHAPTER4 Emera Altizer and the Pitzers It has been said that every history begins with tradi­ tion. Thus we must begin our biography. of Emera Al­ tizer. We heard rumors of an old German Bible con­ taining family records, but nobody we talked· with had actually seen it or knew where it was. It must have existed, perhaps still exists somewhere, for Henry Al­ tizer of Yolyn, W. Va., has a copy of a portion of the records written in faded red poke-berry ink with a goose-quill pen by his father, Aaron Altizer, Emera's grandson. It says that Emera was brought from Ger­ many at the age of sixteen by a family named Pitzer; that they settled at Pittsburg, and tl).at later Emera mar­ ried Mary Pitzer, a daughter of the family. ~n these records, the name was spelled Pittzer. Be.fore we give our Pitzer data, we must explain that in the matter of spelling every man of the 17th and 18th centuries used his own judgment, that is, if he could read, write and spell at all. We shall give a little later some figures which show the great extent of illiteracy in that day. It is said that even George Washington could hardly write his name. When English names were so mutilated in the spelling by English people, we may readily imagine what happened to German names when written by Englishmen ignorant of the German language. In historical research, one must consider the sound as well as the appearance of proper names. Our readers should remember this fact as they read our deductions on genealogy which might otherwise seem far:.fetched. We have used the utmost care to state nothing as a fact which is subject to doubt. In many German names, ·we find the letters B and P used interchangeably, such as Rothgeb which later became Roadcap; Pennybacker, later Pennypacker; Eberle, later Epperly. Such usage supports the possi~ility that a family of immigrants

59 known as Bitzers may have been the Pitzers with whom Emera came. After the year 1738, boys were not given in the ship captains' lists of immigrants. We did not therefore find Emera among Rupp'3 Thirty Thousand names. On page 287, however, were Mattheis and Michael Bitzer, who landed on Oct. 11, 1752, in the Ship Forest, Paterick Ouchterlony, Captain, from Rotterdam, last from Ports­ mouth, England. A Michael Pitzler who may have been, and probably was, the Michael Bitzer above, or his son, is listed by Saffrell in his book, Records of the Revolutionary War. This Michael was a private in Captain Jeremiah Tal­ bott's Company, Col. Irvine's Pennsylvania Regiment. This regiment came in part from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. If Emera came at sixteen with these Bitzers in 1752, he would have been eighty-three at his death in 1819. Thus the date is resonable. A Doctor Bitzer in Pennsylvania gave us data which in a measure corresponds with the Pitzer data found in Virginia. It is probable that Pitzers and Bitzers are the same family. The three immigrant brothers legend so strangely · prevalent in American family histories was given us by Dr. Bitzer and Mrs. Julia Pitzer Hooge. It was also found in Evan's History of Berkeley County. Dr. Bitzer does not give their names, but says that according to family tradition, one settled in Virginia, one in Lancaster County, Pennsylvana, and the third "went west." Dr. Bitzer's grandfather was Martin Bitzer, born · 1795 and buried at New Holland, Pa. This Martin was of course not early enough to be one of the immigrants. But Martin is a family name among them. One Martin Pitzer bought land in Bei'9keley County about 1800, ac­ cording to Evan's history, and another (or perhaps the same one) is shown in -the first census in Shenandoah County, Virginia. The first census was taken in 1790, but in Virginia was composed of lists taken in 1783 and

60 1785. The other two brothers, as given by Evan, were Jacob and John. These three could have been the three young sons of Christian Pitzer, to be given in the next paragraph, who by 1800 would be ready to strike out for themselves. In 1773, Emera Altizer was in Berke:.. ley County· where he married his second wife. Did he go there with some of the Pitzers? In support of Dr. Bitzer's tradition that one of the first Fitzers went west, we have the Altizer Bible record just quoted, and in the 1790 census the name of Chris­ tian Pitzer who lived just south of Pittsburgh in German township of Fayette County, Pa.; this was then a frontier and the "west" of that day. Christian Pitzer's house­ hold at that time consisted of himself and his wife, three boys under sixteen and five daughte.rs. He is perhaps the same Christian Pitzer, wife 1\1:ary, whose baby daughter Elizabeth was baptised at the age of eight months on June 9, 1773, as shown by early baptismal records of Shenandoah County, Virg.inia; that is, he .m.ay have stayed a while in Shenandoah County be:fore going to Pittsburgh. Christian may have been the father of Emera's first wife Mary. The fact that in 1790 he had three boys still under sixteen would at first seem to make him too young for this. But girls often married at thirteen or fourteen, boys as young as eighteen, and par­ ents whose eldest daughter married at thirteen must necessarily have gone on having children for some years thereafte.r in order to have had the families of thirteen or fourteen, often sixteen children, which were the rule rather than the exception. Second and third wives often took up the task when the first wives died. The young­ est son of Emera, for example, was born almost thirty years after the. eldest. Mrs. Hooge agrees with Dr. Bitzer that the Pitzers first settled in Lancaster County, Pa. She gives George, John and William as the brothers' names. John was an early Virginia Pitzer (there were evidently others) for

61 records of Shenandoah County show him appointed con­ stable there in 1775. He is also mentioned in 1779, when a "Negro Fellow named Jacob, property of John Pitsor" was tried in the court and sentenced to receive thirty lashes on his 'bear back.' The next year, 1780, we find John Pitzer in Fin­ castle buying land on Mill Cre.ek. He married Elizabeth Madison, cousin of President Madison. His son Bernard is often mentioned in Botetourt records, and he attained considerable wealth. Bernard's son, Madison Pitzer, is found .in a Montgomery court order book serving on a jury in 1788 and again in 1834. An early Jacob Pitzer did exist, as stated in Evan's History, as well as an early Martin and John. Jacob Pit­ zer enlisted in 1776 in Cumberland County, Pa., in Capt. Robert Adams' Company, 6th Pennsylvania Battalion, commanded by Col. William Irvine. Jacob Pitzer is also given on a Iist·of Freemen of Peters Township, Cum­ berland County,_ 1778, tax one. pound and ten shillings. Polser Pitzer is listed in Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Ser., Vol. 7, p. 985, in Lancaster County Militia, 3rd class, 6th Co. 10th Battalion, under Col. David Jennings, 1777. The will of a Wolsey Pitzer was probated in Frederick Co., Va. 1770. Summing up, we may be reasonably certain that the Pitzers and Bitzers were of the same family; and sure that the region of Lancaster and Cumberland Coun­ ties was the first location of the family; that one or more did go into what was then the west; that at least one came to Virginia and remained there permanently; that of all the possible fathers for Mary Pitzer Altizer, circum­ stantial evidence points most strongly to Christian. It is tantalizing to feel that we are so near the truth and yet be unable to locate some one bit of evidence, some key piece of the puzzle, such as a will giving children's names, which would make evident the whole pattern. We may say her·e that we view with a questioning

62 eye the three brothers story, for it is told by almost every American family; and certainly we found enough con­ temporary Pitzers· and Bitzers here in the early days to prove that there were more than three immigrants, what-· ever their relationship-. Rupp says that German immigra­ tion ceased between the years 1756 and 1761 because of hostilities between Fr2nce and England. Since we are sure Emera came as a boy, he certainly arrived in America before 1756. P. J. Altizer of Washington gave us a story told him by a descendant of James A. Beaver, Governor of Pennsylvania in 1887. The immigrant ancestor of the Beavers and the first American Altizer are said to have married Pennsylvania Dutch sisters. The Beavers are known to have been French Huguenots, but in the terri­ tory of Lorraine lived both French and Germans, so that the. different nationalities of the families need not disprove the story.· Many of the immigrants from there are known to have spoken both languages. In the first census, we find in Shenandoah County both Beavers and Pitzers, the heads of the families be­ ing Cunrod uBee.ver," Michael Beever and Martin Pitzer. Wayland in his history says of the town of Stras­ burg, founded 1761, in Shenandoah County: "It is prob­ able that some of the early settlers here. were from Strasburg in Alsace, and so adopted the name of the old home city for the nev1 town on the Shenandoah." · Legal authorities say that a false story never varies, but that a true one has as many versions as it has nar- 1!ators. It must be true then that Emera came from Germany when a boy, with people who were not his rela­ tives, for besides Aaron's record, we had the story in seven forms. They cannot all be true as to details, but they are interesting. Cousins in Texas said that Emera was kidnaped when a boy and brought to America. From Florida we heard that he was carried off by some people who were

63 cobblers by trade. and brought to America; he remem­ bered his home as a large house in lovely grounds, and his mother as a beautiful lady who was kind to him. A Tazewell relative. said Emera ran away from home at the age of fourteen, stowed away on a ship and came to America; in later years, he was told there was a large fortune for him in Germany, but he would not go back to claim it. From Floyd also, we heard that he came from Bingen as a stowaway; that after some. wandering about, he apprenticed himself to a man named Pitzer who lived at Pittsburg, and later married a daughter of the family. In Montgomery- County, we were told that he and a boy comp.anion, both about eight or ten years old, were playing on a shoi:_e, (no doubt of the Rhine, since Mainz a few miles further up the stream was an important port) when the captain of a snip lying at anchor asked if they would like to go on board. Boy like, they gladly assented. They became so interested in the sights on shipboard that they did not notice when the vessel began to move and they were far from land before they realized it. Another version gives Emera two companions. Still another says that he was playing on the ship. Emera, though so young, kept his name. as best he could. We were told that the middle initial V found in some of his signatures stood for von, a Ge.rman preposition used to denote rank and title, for example, die Konigen von England, Paul von Hindettburg, etc. Aconsiderable trade in kidnaped persons, both young and old, was carried on in ·colonial times. Kid­ napers were called "spirits." Ship captains, trades­ men, doctors, rogues, women ,0f the court-unprincipled people in all walks of life engaged in the crime, which was probably not discovered in one case out of t~enty. When it was found out, the punishment was often a petty fine or a few hours in the pillory, rather than death, as provided by the civil law. Many persons, particularly among the Pennsylvania

64 settlers, voluntarily bound themselves to work for a period to pay their passage. This was not a social handi­ cap. Many such persons were of better ancestry and education than their employe.rs. Strict laws protected their rights. It will be s_een, then, that fantastic as the kidnap­ ing story sounds at first, it was probably true. In what­ ever manne~ Emera fell in with the Pitzers, however, ·whether before or &fter he came to America, he ap­ parently re.mained ·with them upon friendly terms, which would hardly have been the case if they were the kidnapers. Perhaps the.y befriended him and his companion-who could have been the Beaver-while on shipboard. After weighing the somewhat contradic­ tory opinions of our informants, this seems to us a logi­ cal explanation. It is only conjecture, of course, but conjecture is one of the pleasures of ancestor-hunting. A startling thought i.s this: who should we. be, if the boy Emera von Althausen had not played on the shore that day? Pitze.r was well-to-do~ and of some importance, tradition says. We were told by D. S. Lucas, that at the beginning of Emera's apprenticeship, Pitzer set him to making a pair _of shoes for one of the girls-prob­ ably Mary. Emera cut out one shoe and fashioned it as best he could. But the finished product was so terrible, he d~cided he could not let Pitzer see it, so he lifted a puncheon board of the floor and hid the shoe beneath it; then proceeded to make another. When Pitzer came. in and saw the second shoe, he told Emera he'd bet there was not a worse-looking shoe in America than that. Emera took the bet. "But how shall we. ever prove there's a worse one?" asked Pitzer. Emera lifted up­ the floor board, produced the first shoe, and believe it or not, Pitzer paid the bet, pounds, shillings, or what­ ever the amount. Leander Altizer learned from his f athe.r Russell that

65 when Emera was t\Venty-one, the Pitzers gave him a horse, bridle and saddle, some money, a new suit of clothes, cobb~~r's tools, and other things. He probably married soon afterward. Until a few years ago, Leand­ er owned some "rubbing sticks," cobbler's tools, which had been Em'era's, but these were lost in moving. We have imagin~d the courtship of the young Ger­ man boy and girl in the wild new country of west Pennsylvania: Out to the Pitzer work-shed one day went Mary, her hair in two smooth fair braids wound around her head. Her linsey-woolsey dress of bright plaid came down to her shoes-home-cobbled shoes which Emera had made for her with loving care. She stood in the doorway. "Das mittagmahl is ready, Eme-ra," she told him. "Come and eat."·- " A minute, Marie." He was packing a bundle. _He folded a coarse shirt and placed it on- the pile-. Then he turned and looked at her. Her rosy face became a little- rosier, and she dropped her eyes. "You are not working on the shoes today, Emera," she ventured shyly. "Not now. Next week, you know, I shall be a man -twenty-one years old. I shall go away then. I ~hall leave your kind mutter and vater, and this home where I have been like a son since. that sad time I still grieve to think of. And I shall leave you, too. Are you sorry, Marie?" The girl's lip trembled. He came nearer and held out a little folded pa per. "Do you know what is in this paper, Marie?" She shook her head. He unfolded it and held it before her. uFlowers," she said. "Withered flowers." "Flowers that we -picked in the woods when ,ve walked on Sunday in the spring."

66 "Why are you keeping them?" she murmured. He laid a hand on her arm. "You know why, Marie. Come with me when I go, meine liebe. Without you, I shall be all alone. I will take care of you. I cannot bear to leave you. Will you come,?" "I was afraid you would not ask me," she answered softly. "We have been together ever since. I was a little madel-too long now to part. Wherever you go I will go."· They eloped,- it is said, fearing the Pitzers' wrath, and were married in Hagerstown, Md. There is some question in our minds, however, as to whether in the. many years during which the story has been handed down, the first and second wives have not been con­ fused. The marriage at Hagarstown of Emera and his second wife is proven by that wife's own statement in he.r pension record. She was so young at the time that perhaps it was she who eloped and not the first wife­ another of the things we shall never know. We do not know whe.re Emera and his first wife lived. It was probably in that portion of Maryland or Virginia south of Pittsburg, for we find him no further away than Berkeley County in 1773. At least two chil­ dren were born to them, John and Eme,ry Junior. We believe that Elias was also Mary Pitzer's son. Census records show that he was born not earlier than 1771, and since Emera married a second time in 1773, Mary Pitzer perhaps died at Elias' birth. We present here a possibility which is just that and no more. In Pennsylvania archives, 5th series, Vo 1. 6. p. 389, we found a Christopher Altiger listed in the 3rd Co. of militia, Cumberland County, August 1-22, 1780; and on p. 396 Christian Altiger in Capt. Peeble's Com­ pany, 6th Battalon, Col. James Dunlop, Cumberland Co. Pa. List of August 1, 1780; again on p. 432, same com­ pany and battalion July 27, 1782. It is not impossible that

67 this name is a misspelling of Altizer, and that these two soldiers were sons of Emera and Mary Pitzer Altizer, one of them having been named for Christian Pitzer whom we believe to have been Mary's father. Boys as fOUDg as sixteen served in the militia and re~ular army.. If Emera married at twenty-one about the year 1755, by 1780 he could have had a son t,venty-four years old, who would have been in 1773, at Emera's second mar­ riage, seventeen years old-old enough, that is, to re- . main in Pennsylvania with the brother next him when· his father .moved southward. We have no sort of proof of this. But it was then the custom to marry young and to spend iittie time in mourning a lost spouse before re­ marriage. Mary would have had ample time to pre­ sent her husband with five children before she. died.

68 CHAPTER 5 The Millers and Rockbridge The second wife was a Mary also-Mary Miller. Her pension record gives her age at marriage as about fourteen. Emera must have been p-ast thirty. Mary was born about 1758, the daughter of Scotch-Irish David Miller of Berkeley County, formerly of Augusta. He had three daughters and six sons. The other two daughters were Sarah and Elizabeth. One married John Glenn and moved to North Carolina. The other is thought to have married a Thomas Hewitt. David's sons were John, who married Hannah Boyd; James, married Heste.r Dickey; Absolom, married Lydia (Jones?); David II; Joseph born 1760, married Mar­ garet Hamilton; Alexander born 1763, married Eliza­ beth Barton. In September 1758, David Miller of Augusta was allowed by the Virginia Assembly one pound four shill­ ings for furnishing provisions to the Augusta County militia. This was during the French and Indian War. In Augusta deed book number 11, p. 151, David l\lille.r is found in 1761 deeding land to Robert Brecken­ ridge. In the same county Jan. 10, 1763, he leases to Robert Breckenridge "of the same county" two parcels of land, 190 acres on Buffalo Creek in the county of Augusta, and another tract adjoining, 33 acres by patent hearing date Aug. 7, 1761 on the n.w. side of Buffalo Creek; witnessed by William Preston, John Miller, Wm. .A.nde.rson, Forrest Arbor, Patt Sharkey, Francis Smith, Wm. Davis, Thomas McFarren. Teste John Madison. On the next day, David and Hannah his wife sell the above property for 97 pounds and 10 shillings to Robert Breckenridge. (We shall later tell of the custom of mak­ ing a deed by two conveyances.) Hannah made her mark. Another Augusta deed dated March 9, 1767 shows

69 David selling to Israel Christian, merchant, 120 acres in Augusta County on s. branch of Buffalo Creek, a branch of the "Roanoak." Witnesses Francis Smith, Wm. Chris­ tian, Wm. Preston, Robert Breckenridge, Ben Hawkins, Wm. Fleming, Stephen Trigg, Edw. Carvin, Nathan Gil­ lellen (his mark), Wm. Christian. The deed of re­ lease next day shows the purchase price of 15 pounds. On the same date, David and Hannah deeded to Israel Christian 141 acres on a branch of the Roanoak called the Glade Creek, for 50 pounds. On March 21, 1767, Hannah resigns right of dower· to these two prop­ erties and David gives bond for performance of these covenants. Saffrell in Records of the Revolution, p. 505, shows David Miller on a list of officers for whose Revolutionary services Virginia Military land warrants were issued prior to Dec. 31, 1784. The War Department wrote : "David Miller, ensign, Capt. Andrew Russell's Company, 5th Virginia Re.giment, also designated 5th and 9th Virginia Regiment, commanded suc­ cessively by Col. Charles Scott, Col. Josiah Parker and Col. Richard Parker. He was commissioned Sept. 24, 1776; was commissioned 2nd lieutenant February 21, 1777; was transferred in June 1778, to Capt. John Anderson's Company, 3rd Virginia. Regiment, commanded by Col. William Heth. He appears to have been commissioned 1st lieutenant May 1, 1779 and was paid to include March, 1782. An undated list showing arrangement of the Vir­ ginia Line February 10, 1781, shows rank captain lieutenant, but no record has been f-ound showing the date of such appointment. "Heitman's Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army, an unofficial publication, en­ titled to credit .shows: "Miller, David (Va.) Ensign. 5th Virginia, 24th Septembe-r, 1776; 2nd Lieutenant,

70 21st February, 1777; transferred to 3d Virginia, 14th September, 1778; 1st Lieutenant, 14th April, 1779; Captain, 1st May, 1779; taken prisoner at Charleston, 12th May, 1780; retired 1st January, 1782." His son David was a private in Capt. Henry Heth's Inn~-nl=)nne:nt Company. David Miller's will was probated in Berkeley Coun­ ty, 1782. Two other bits of information link the Pitzers and Millers: Evan's History of Berkeley lists the 'leading families' in the Arden . district of that county, among them, Pitzers and Millers. And the paternal grandmother of the man from whom we re.ceived much Miller data was a descendant of lVIichael Pitzer (Bitzer) who came to Berkeley from lower Pennsylvania prior to 1775. This gentleman believes they came from York County. Michael, he said, had a brother Mathias. Should any reader be in the future able to untangle the Pitze.r-Mi1le:r:­ Altizer problem, we should be. grateful for the solution. Emera and his second wife were married in Hagars­ town in July, 1773, according to her pension record. Evan gives the marriage customs of the time : The wed­ ding always took place at noon. The groom and his atte.ndants assembled at his father's house in the morn­ ing and marched double file to the home of the bride. Their course was often interrupted by the narrowness of the road and by grapevines tied across the way and logs placed across the path by ill-disposed neighbors; or by parties of friends in ambush, who would fire guns to envelop the bridal procession in smoke and make the. horses plunge and the girls shriek. When they neared the bride's home, two of the young men would race for "Black Betty," a bottle of whiskey which the father of the -bride held in his hand at the door. The winner carried the bottle back to the groom, who took a swig, as did all the others in turn.

71 The marriage took place, and ihe dinner followed, consisting of beef, pork, fowls, venison, and bear meat, with potatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. Dancing began, three- or four-handed reels, square. sets and jigs. It was often interrupted by the cry "Where's Black Betty? I want to kiss her sweet lips." The thirsty one would hold the bottle aloft and say "Here's health to the groom, not forgetting myself," or Here's to the _bride, thumping hick and big children." Says Mr. Evan, "Far from being taken amiss, this was considered a very proper and friendly wish; for big children, especially boys, were of great im­ portance as the settlers were f e.w in number and continu­ ally engaged in warfare with the Indians, and every big son was therefore considered as a young soldier." At about nine or te.n o'clock the bride was escorted up the ladder to the loft by a delegation of young women. Then the groom was conducted to her side by a party of young men. Downstairs, the dancing went on all night. Nobody was allowed to steal away for a snatch of sleep-. He was hunted up and paraded upon the center of the floor, while the fiddlers played "Hang out till morning.'' Often • the p-arty continued for several days, at the end of which time the entire company was so exhausted that they were for a week unfit for their usual work. Luckily, there was an alternative for those who felt unequal to the rather terrible merry-making, and this Emera and Mary see.m to have chosen. The groom on his horse and the bride'-s father on his, with his daughte.r behind him, rode to the nearest minister .for the cere­ mony. The bride changed horses and rode away behind her groom to the.ir new home. If Mary Miller and Emera eloped, she of course went unaccompanied by father. The Scotch-Irish wer,e Presbyterrians and our informant on the Mi.Iler fam-ily states that it was unusual for them to marry outsi$le of their own demonination. If it was the se.cond Mary who eloped with Emery, perhaps the family

72 opposition to the marriage was because of differences in religion, and not her youth. The Episcopal church was still the established church of Virginia, though there were many dissenters. Marriages were solemnized by the parish minister or the parish reader, but the certificate he gave was not de­ posited with the county clerk. It is hard therefore to trace marriages which occurred before 17s·1, when the public recording of marriages began. Then the groom had to sign a bond for fifty pounds, the bond to be for­ feited if there was found to be any le.gal obstacle to the marriage. Someone~ usually the bride's father, was surety for the bond. If either was under twenty-one, the consent of the parents must accompany the bond, which served as a license. The consent was usually written on a narrow strip of paper, for paper was e,xpensive. The signature, if not a mark, is usually hard to decipher. These bonds were filed away in bundles. Mary no doubt named her son David for he.r father. Her youngest son, Jonas, administrator of her estate, certified that previous to her residence in Montgomery~ she lived in Rockbridge County. Their home was in the Bordon tract, an immense. grant of 100,000 acres given to a man named Bordon, or Burden, who sold parts of it to others. lVIorton's History of Rockbridge County says: "The Bordon tract was primarily settled by Ulstermen and by occasional families from east of the Blue Ridge. Yet in several instances German families were. on the ground at an early date.. . .. The German has been less dispersive than the Ul­ sterman and more. inclined to hold fast to a good land. In Rockbridge he is in the minority and has lived there in close relations with his neighbor of British stock.... "Among the Ge.rman names on our list we have mentioned the f ollo,ving:

73 "Albright, Almonrode, Altizer, Armentrout, etc. He continues elsewhere: "As to surnames the number in Rockbridge is surprisingly large. Not less than 1500 come to light in a gleaning of docume-ntary local history, while the actual number as a matter of course is some­ what larger yet. In many an instance it is true, the occurrence of a name is like a visit by a bird of pass­ age. A single family or perhaps an unmarried per­ son lived here a few years and then passed on. The heavy emigration from Rockbridge is the leading cause of disappearance of names." Mr._ Morton gives a "List of Tithables, 1778. (Tith­ ables were those subject to poll-tax for the support of the established church.) It is taken from the first will book of Rockbridge. These names are of interest: Altizer Emorick McKee William Carmichael John 1Y.liller Henry (2 tithables in Christian Israel home) Faris Robert (constable) Miller Samuel Faris William Paxton John Capt. (2 tith- Gordon James ables) Gordon John Ratliff Thomas (2 tithab1es Lane James Read Patrick (2 tithables) Five families of Thompsons.Seven Reids Our Miller correspondent says that the Samuel and Henry Miller above were probably cousins of Mary. probably coming from Frede.rick County, Virginia or Cumberland County, Pa. Se.veral other Millers of Berke­ ley County moved to Rockbridge about the time Mary and Emera went there. No phase of this story h~s interested us more. than the subject of Emera's wives. How did they look? What were their dispositions? Did Mary Pitzer's sons John and Emery Junior get their quietness from her? Was Jonas, with ~is fiery impetuousness, a throw-back

74 to some roistering Irishman in Mary Miller's line? Who took care of Mary Pitzer's children before Emera re­ married? How did he meet the second Mary? Did she speak German, living as she did among many German­ speaking neighbors? Or had Emera by this time given up his native tongue for English? How did Mary get on with the step-children so near her own age.? Exactly where was their home in Rockbridge? And why did they go to Montgome.ry? It will be pleasant someday to see Emera and his wives in that bourne to which they have gone; to sit down with the-m in some quiet corner not too near-the orchestra, and ask them all these questions. "Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." A disconcerting thought.

75 CHAPTER& The Revolutionary War As every school-boy knows, the Revolution was caused by taxes for revenue imposed on the colonies. The Boston Tea Party occurred in the year of Emera's second marriage. The war began in 1775; in 1776 came the· Declaration of Independence. At first the fighting was in the north. The British planned to se.parate the colonies by conquering New York. Washington''5 famous crossing of the Delaware River in a raging snow storm resulting in the capture of some Hessian troops, and the American victory at Prince­ ton were events of the first season's fighting. Washing­ ton went into winter quarters near Morristown, N. J. The next spring, the British again tried to take New York, but the British Burgoyne had to surrender his whole army to Washington. In spite of this surrender, the following winter, spent by Washington's army at Valley Forge., was the darkest time of the war. The British were well fed and sheltered, having gold money with which to supply their needs. The Colonials had only the almost worthless paper money. Nearly 3000 of the soldiers were barefoot. The snow through which the:r marched was stained with blood. They shivered in their log huts and many had to sit by the. fire all night to keep from freezing. There was no bread in ~an1p for days at a time. The death rate. increasPd 33 per cent each week. But France cam~ to the aid of ,the colo:r.ist ..; and the crisis was past. Until 1778 the. fighting continued in the aorth, the British on the whole being the losers.~ Then they transferred the sce.ne of their attack to the south. They conquered Georgia, South Carolina and moved into North Carolina. Many Tories rallied to aicl them. Next Cornwallis moved to Yorktown, Virginia, to

76 join a British army which had come down by sea from New York. "Washington now formed a bold scheme," says a historian. "With the greatest secrecy he ,vithdrew most of his army from before New York and started 011 a swift but long march for Yorktown." While, Wash­ ington was on the m3.rch, DeGrasse with his French fleet overcame two British fleets just off the the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Hopeless, these. returned to New York. Another American fleet which had been at Newport now joined DeGrasse in safety, bringing soldiers· and cannon to take part against Cornwallis. Washington's army was brought by water from Pennsylvania to Yorktown. "By the middle of September the land side of Yorktown was besieged by sixteen thousand men, seven thousand of them French regulars. On the water side it was blockaded by a great French fleet. Within this doomed circle seven thousand British soldiers stood grimly at bay for more than a month. Slowly, steadily, the allies crowded the, British into narrower and narrower space. French and Ameri­ cans vied with each other to see- which should show the greater coolness and audacity in assaults. At length, after all the outer fortifications had been taken by storm, Cornwallis gave up- his gallant but hopeless defense. He surrendered his whole army October 19, 1781."-Stephenson's United States History. Eme-ra Altizer was among these besiegers of the British at Yorktown. He was discharged soon after the surrender, having served at least 18 months, said the Vete.rans Administration. Until the Revolution, the only colonial troops were the militia of the several states-men of ordinary pur­ suits called out at need to fight the French and the In­ dians. s·uch service usually lasted from one to three months. When war was declared against England the colonists soon saw the need for better trained and o-rga- 77 nized troops. On July 17, 1775, the. Convention of Dele­ gates passed ordinances for raising two regiments of regulars and for the better_ organization of the militia. "And be it farther ordained. That the soldiers shall, at the expense of the publick, be furnished each with one good musket and bayonet, cartouch box, or pouch, and cante.en ;and, until such musket can be provided, that they bring with each of them the best gun, of any other sort, that can be procured ; ... and that such as are to act as riflemen bring with them each one good rifle, to be approved by their captain; ... that each common soldier, not already sufficiently provided . . . shall be furnished with sufficient clothing, at the expense of the publick, to be deducted out of his pay." The companies of the Shenandoah Valley and its vicinity were to consist of "expert riflemen," and the companies were to be allotted two to each regiment to be employed as light infantry. Emera when he enlisted was probably one of these expert riflemen. The pay of a private soldier was to be · one shilling and fourpence per day. Every six privates were to be provided 'with a proper and sufficient tent'; every two serjeants and every two corporals had a tent, and every officer a tent. The age of soldiers ranged from 16 to 50. The following oath of allegiance was passed by the same convention: "I, A. B., do swear, that I will be faithful and true to the colony and dominion of Virginia ; that I will serve the same to the utmost of my power, in defence of the just rights of America, ag-ainst all enemies whatsoever; that I will, to the utmost of my abilities, obey the lawful commands of my su­ periour officers, agreeable. to the ordinances of the convention and the articles of war, to which I have subscribed, and lay down my arms peaceably, when required so to do, either by the General Convention or General Assembly of Virginia. So help me God."

78 "Which oath . . . shall be administered to the . . . men, by a justice of the peace or any county or corporation committee-man within 24 hours after the time of enlistment." The very phraseology of these ordinances is stirring. The Revolution needed its propaganda, as do all wars, to make the people for get the dangers, privations and suf­ ferings. Even today we thrill to Patrick Henry's words: "Gentlemen may cry peace! peace.! but there is no peace! The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field. Is life so dear,. or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take ; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me de.a.th." And to the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these. truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by the.ir Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ... that whenever any form of govern­ me.nt becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government. . . . We, therefore., do solemnly publish and declare that these. United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and In­ dependent States. . . . And for the support of this declaration, with ~-- firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our 1ortunes and our sacred honor." These stately phrases and the pictures we often see of Washington's troops in knee breeches, white vests and three-cornered hats suggest that this war was somewhat of a pageant. Instead, it was the. brutal combat war always is. In reality, the privates wore garments suited

79 to their terrible work-hunting clothes, in which they now killed· men· instead of game : shirts of homespun linsey-woolsey, a coarse cloth part linen, part wool; fringed around the neck and down the front; pantaloons of deerskin or jeans; leather leggings and moccasins; buckskin, coonskin or foxskin caps with one or more tails hanging at the side. Each soldier had a bullet pouch strapped over one shoulder and a powder-horn over the . . other, a tomahawk and a _scalping knife thrust into his belt. A rifleman carried his long rifle, later to be known as a Kentucky rifle. This weapon was produced by such gun-smiths as Jacob and Frederick Sell, Peter Berry, Henry Albright and others, of Lancaster County,' Pa., and was designed to compete with the: Indians' swift arrows better than did the short-barreled, larger-calibered rifles brought by the early colonists from Europe. The Kentucky rifle was four or five feet long, a flintlock, with iron work of the finest workmanship and beautifully engrossed brass mountings. The stock was of curly maple, which showed the maker's skill better than woods more easily carved. Beneath the barrel was a long hickory ramrod. In a brass patch box on the righthand side were. the patches, rounds of greased cloth or buckskin which were placed over the muzzle before the bullet was rammed down onto the powder. The patches made it unnecessary for the bul­ let to fit so tightly and hence made. the loading easier and the firing quicker, besides cleaning the barre! of the burned powder. The long rifle played a most im­ portant part in winning the Revolution. When later we give the will of Emery Junior, we shall find him bequeathing to a grandson "a certain rifle gun." To two other ~andsons he had previously given "a rifle gun each." Was one of these the gun his father used during the war? The name Kentucky rifle came into use when Daniel Boone carried one into the wilderness.

80 Ten calls for troops and equipment were issued by the Virginia Burgesses. The seventh roll call in May 1780 was perhaps the one in answer to which Emera enlisted. This date was just eighteen months before the surrender of Cornwallis. The ninth call in May 1781 required the e.clistment of soldiers who were not less .than 5 feet . 4 inches, nor deserters, nor subject to fits, but of able body and sound mind and fit for immediate service. The Virginia regulars were known as the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment.

81 CHAPTER 7 Emera's Service in the Revolution The Veterans Administration gave Emera Altizer as serving under either Captain Paxton or Captain Adam Wallace. It is impossible. to give with certainty the route followed and the battles participated in by any soldier unless these facts are found in a pension application or in family records. No such study even of companies and officers has been made by historians. The personnel of companies changed as deaths made new combinations necessary, and the officers were sometimes transfe!"red from one regiment to another. What we are sure of in Emera's re.cord comes from Mary's pension application. In a study of the two Captain Paxtons of Botetourt (later Rockbridge) and Captain Adam Wallace, we found that all references to the. Paxtons showed them commanding militia, and since Emera belonged to the Continental Line, or regulars, we are of the opinion that Captain Wallace was his commander until that officer's death. The War Department wrote : "Adam Wall~ce served in the Revolution as a first lieutenant in Capt. Thomas Posey,s Company, 7th Virginia Re.giment and 5th and 11th Virginia Regiment, commanded successively by Col. Alex­ ander McClenachan, Ljeut.-Col. Holt Richeson, Col. William Heth and Col. William Russell. He was com­ missioned 1776; promoted Captain 1778, and trans­ ferred to The Major's Company, same regiment. He was transfe.rred in November 1778 to Capt. Adam Wallace's Company, and in April 1779 was placed in command of the 8th Company, same regiment. His name is last borne on the Field and Staff muster roll for November, 1779, which shows him on com­ mand Southward. "His r.esidence was Botetourt County~ Virginia.

82 The records show that the company was stationed at different times at the following named places: Val­ ley Forge, White Plains, Newark, Pumpton, Middle­ brook, Smith's Clove, Ramapaugh, Haver Straw an~ at camp near Morristown." -If Emera served longer than eighteen months, he . may have been at these places. But we can speak with more probability about the Southern campaign. Se.ction 168 of McAllister says that Captain Adam Wallace's Company of Regulars was in service in South Carolina and at the Battle of Waxhaw. The American General, Lincoln, was besieged in Charleston, S. c. The 7th Regiment of Virginia Continentals under General Buford (in which regiment was Capt. Wallace. with some Rockbridge troops, no doubt including Emera) ·were on their way to reenforce Lincoln. They we.re surprized at Waxhaw by Col. Tarleton. Buford's men when surround­ ed by. Tarleton's forces, begged for quarter, which Tarle­ ton declined to give a.nd they were cut to pieces without mercy. "After dusk, some of the troopers, who were generally Tories, returned to the battle field and when they found signs of life. they bayonetted the hacked and maimed." Capt Adam Wallace was among the slain. Foote says that "after killing many of the enemy with his espontoon (a kind of pike) he died bravely fighting." A few months after Waxhaw, in August 1780, the battle of Camden, South Carolina, was a victory for the British, their last great success. General Gates had suc­ ceeded Lincoln in Command of American forces in the south. His army was completely routed by Cornwallis. We could not learn just what troops were in this battle. There was no organized American force, in the Caro­ linas, and Cornwallis began a triumphant march north­ ward. "The brave mountaineers ·of North Carolina and Virginia rose in arms." Although Southwest Virginia was having trouble. with both Indians · and Tories, the section contributed many, among them the ancestors of many who appear on our chart. Led by John Sevier they attacked the British at King's Mountain, North Carolina on October 7, 1780. The entire British force of 1100 men was either killed or captured. Jefferson called it "the joyful turn of the tide." Gates was removed and Greene placed in charge of the Southern forces. On January 17, 1781, a portion of Greene's army under the famous General, "matchless Dan Morgan of Virginia with his band of riflemen, tall sinewey fellows in hunters' clothing, dead sure to hit a man's head every time at 250 yards/' was attacked at Cowpens, South Carolina, by the British under Tarleton. The British fled under the fire of Morgan's men. H~re were both militia and regulars; in all probability Emera. Almost certainly he was at the battle of Guilford Courthouse, N. C. "Cornwallis began a second march northward. Greene's forces were too weak to risk a battle. His soldiers were poorly clad and most of ihe, them were without tents or shoes. He therefore. skilfully retreat­ ed across North Carolina, chased ·by Cornwallis. Twice the rivers rising suddenly after Greene had crossed, checked his pursue.rs. On March 15, 1781, re­ enforced by about 4000 (among them several comp­ anies of Shenandoah Va Hey militia, one under Ca pt. John Paxton), Greene offered battle to Cornwallis at Guilford Courthouse. He drew up his forces on a wooded hill in three lines, one behind the other. The first line consisted of raw North Carolina militia, who fled before the. British bayonet charge, hardly fir­ ing a shot. The Virginia brigade of militia con­ stituting the second line made a brave resistance but was soon driven back- On swept the British col umns flushed with victory, against the. third line. The Continentals (regulars) stood their ground like the veterans they were.. After a long bloody fig ht the British were driven back. The fugitives, how-

84 ever, under cover of artillery presently rallied when Greene, fearing to risk more, withdrew from the field." The British lost 500, the Americans 400, besides a large part of the militia who dispersed to their homes. The journal of a Virginia militia-man, a participant in this battle gives interesting details: "When we marched near the (battle) ground we charged our guns. Presently our brigade major came, ordering to take trees as we pleased. The men run to choose their trees, but with difficulty, many crowding to one, and some far behind others. . . . Some distance behind were. formed the regulars." They fought for- some time, briefly repulsing the enemy several times. Then "we were obliged to run, and many were sore chased, and some cut down." The battle lasted two hours and twenty-five minutes. Cornwallis then marched to Yorktown. After his surrender, many of the Valley troops were held to ~on­ vey away prisoners.

85 CHAPTER 8 · Montgomery in the Revolution .In Montgomery County, as in most of the mountain sections of Virginia and North Carolina, many persons called Tories remained loyal ·to the British government. Most were sincere in their convictions, but it was nec­ essary for the Colonial government to suppress them. They. were liable to imprisonment and their estates were confiscated and converted to public use. The Indians also made trouble on the frontier. Urged on by the British, they harrassed the weak settlements in Kentucky, along the Holston River and toward Ohio. A large force of militia was sent to the Holston early in the war. The militia of the Shenandoah Valley were able to protect themselves against the Indians, but scat­ tered settlements west of the Allegheny divide were much distressed. Indian depredations continued throughout the war and garrisons had to be maintained in the frontier forts of the threatened area. McAllister in his book, Virginia Militia in the Revo­ lutionary War, shows that companies under these offic­ ers fought against the Tories in Montgomery: Capt. Jas. Barnett (of Augusta) and Col. Hugh Crockett (Montgo­ mery) 1779; Capt. Burns 1776; Col. Wm. Preston in 1781 dispersed Tories in Montgomery who had turned out to meet the British advancing from the Carolinas; again Preston surprised and captured ~me. Tories under Capt. McDonald; this expedition against the Tories lasted a month. Captain Danl. ·rrigg's Company served against the Indians and twice guarded the Lead Mines in what is now Wythe County. In 1777 or 8 they went against the In­ dians on the Greenbrier and Giles frontiers. The company of Capt. Abram Trigg we.nt against the Tories on the Yadkin River, North Carolina, on two occasions, 1776 and 1780. On the latter trip he had a

86 battle with them at Shallow Ford. Other Montgomery captains of militia were Isaac Taylor, John Mccorkle, Capt. Paulin, John Lucas, Joseph Martin, Aaron Scaggs, Mace Tacey, John Duncan, Henry Rolling, Joseph Floyd, Joshua Wilson, James Moore. Interesting details are given in pension a pplica­ tions: A Robert Bell served one mon~h under Sergeant Aaron Scaggs on the Bluestone to guard Mares' and McGuire's stations from the Indians with whom there was frequent fighting. He went to Shallow Ford on the Yadkin with Capt. Abram Trigg. The wounded were left at Salem. .A. ~David Allee who later lived in Cooper Co. Missouri, in 1778 went out from Botetourt under Capt. Thos. Cummings and Col. Chas. Lynch, and had a fight with Tories at the head of Little River in Botetourt, where they took Job Hale and Wm. Terry, two Tory Captains. At Sinking Creek in Montgomery, they disarmed a good many Tories and at Toms Creek in Wythe, they disarmed others. William Hutchison of Monroe County volunteer­ ed in 1776 to guard the frontier. He marched across New River through the present county of Giles, then thinly peopled, and served as a ranger. The next spring he marched up Bluestone to the. settlement near its head to protect the people gathering fodder. He was in a place where probably few people except Indians had ever been. The country was wild and mountainous. Often he carried orders in the night time when he could hear not far off the yell~ the whistle,-the. wary tread of the savage. While serving as a spy he lay out at night with no cover but his blanket, and he could hear the scream of the panther and the yell of the Indian. While escorting an old man named McGuire to the settlement on Bluestone, they were pursued by ten or twelve. Indians. Sometimes they we.re in mud up to their knees or water up to their necks. At dark the pursuers set up a great yell,

87 but "we heard no more of them and at length arrived where we were ordered, having traveled forty miles since nine in the morning."

On page 139 of McAllister is the pension applica­ tion of 1-{iathan Ratcliff, father-in-law of Jonas Altizer. The complete form is in Montgomery records: "July Court, On this first day of July in the year 1833 personally appeared before the county court of Montgomery Nathan Ratcliff a resident of the State of Virginia and county aforesaid, age. 71 years, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration, in orde.r to obtain benefits of the provisions made by an Act of Congres pased June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service;s of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. "That he entered the service the last of May or the first of June in the year 1778, when a youth age 16, and served for the term of one month as a private under Capt. Josua Wilson, and William Hun­ gate was his Lieutenant against the Indians. Colonel Preston at that time acted as Colonel in Montgomery aforesaid. That he then entered the service about the latter part of June or the first of July in the year 1780 under Capt. Abram Trigg afterward Gen­ eral Trigg. Preston was still the acting Colonel in the county and we were marched to the Shallow Ford of the Adkin in N. Carolina where we had a skirmish with the Tories and defeated them. Col. Cloyd acted as our Major and was the commander of the force. Preston remained at home during both these tours·. The two tours together amounted to eight months your applicant served. Your applicant. resided in the County of Montgomery at the time he entered the service. and has remained a resident therein ever since. He has no documentary evi-

88 dence of his service except the accompanying affi­ davits. ''Subscribed to and sworn this day, Nathan H. Ratcliff Witnesses Thomas Alley Henry Bishop. (Both witnesses were. in Capt. Daniel Trigg's Company.) Nathan was allowed his pension on this application. His claim was S. 17034. The Veterans Administration gave his superiors as Captains Joshua Wilson, Abram: and Daniel Trigg, George Pearis, and Colonels William Pres­ ton and Hugh Crockett. In November, 1935, this item appeared in ·the Roa­ noke Times: "Investigation of the old records in me attic of the courthouse here under an order of removal of the State fire marshal as a fire menace disclosed that a number of the old Fincastle county records were filed away there .... These records have been sought for years in Richmond, Botetourt County and Mont­ gomery County, and it was thought that they had been lost or destroyed." The records were sorted and indexed. Among them was the· original report of Stephen Trigg, listing the 190 Revolutionary soldiers sworn to service by him be­ tween Sept. 5, 1777 and April 1, 1778. Trigg was the senior captain of the Montgomery county militia. Fin­ castle then included all of Southwest Virginia and Ken­ tucky. Some of the names were: In Capt. McCorkle's company: Robert Miller, William Hall,. James Montgomery, Joseph Montgo­ mery, Joseph Whiteger (Whitaker), Adam Wag- goner. . In Capt. Joseph Cloyd's Company: Thomas Lewis, Thomas Sowards (Sowers), Robert Thomp­ son, John Cook, Henry Thompson, Nathaniel Chris­ tian, John Cox, Joseph Williamson.

89 In Capt. Daniel Trigg's company: Daniel Trigg, Archibald Elkins, Solomon Akers, John Lester, John Skaggs Jr., Samuel Lester, John "Goardhead" Skaggs, Richard Whitt, John Harmon, John Shilling, Peter Harmon, Thom·as Alley, Jonathan Elswick, Zachariah Skaggs:, Archibald Skaggs, Ge.orge Wal­ ters, Moses Skaggs, John Bishop•, James Skaggs, Archibald Thompson, Blackburn Akers, John Els­ wick, Henry Bishop, Henry Skaggs, Charles Skaggs, Abner Lester, John Skaggs, Volintine. Akers, Robert Gates, Wm. Lawson, Hezekiah Whitt, John Pain, Johl,Payte, Jeremiah Payte (Pate). Of this list John Lester, Solomon Akers and Archi­ bald Elkins are known to be connections of the A:Jtizer family. Others probably are. John Lester was the fore.­ bear of Sally A. Lester, wife of Jacob Altizer of Jo'!-ln's line. Archibald Elkins' daughter Elizabeth married John Altizer, son of Emera. Her sister Lydia married Solo­ mon Akers' son William. It is of interest to find the three oldsters enlisting together. Tradition says that Archi­ bald Elkins' service was against the Indians. During the later years of the war, the Virginia militia was almost constantly in service. The lead mines so often referred to were discovered by Col. Chiswell in 1757; he began to operate them soon afterward. A fort was built a few miles distant in 1758 and named for him. It was the county seat of Fh1castle and later of early Montgomery. Col. Chiswell was a Tory, and his property was confiscated. The mines ,vere the chief source of supply for lead bull~ts during the Indian wars, the Revolution, and for the Confederate a.rn1y dur­ ing the Civil War.

90 CHAPTER 9 Proofs of Service We found in the Virginia State Library three refer­ ences to the service of Emer·a Altizer in the Revolution­ ary War. All of them concern his pay: 1. Emera Altizer. Revolutionary Army Volume 2, p. 256. (Four volumes of miscellaneous manuscript matter concerning the Revolution.) "A list of certificates issued on counterfeit vouchers Emera Altizer £36-0-0 Signed Aug. 14, 1784, S. Hawes Comr." By means of this reference alone, one member of the family established the line of· Emera Altizer with the Daughters of the American Revolution, a society most btrict in its requirements. The reference is given on page 15 of "List of the Revolutionary soldiers of Virginia (supplement) Special Report of the Department of Archives and History for 1912," issued by the Virginia State Library. 2. Emera Altezeza. Auditor's Accounts, Vol. 31, p. 217. "Richmond, Virginia 24th February 1786 Sundry Accounts Dn to J. S. Treasr. United States, for Interest on Military debt. Warrt. to Emeza Altizeza Sold. 25 Apl. £ 32-3-2" 3. Emery Altozira. War. 4, p. 77 (A collection ct£ ~anuscript volumes bearing on ihe military establishment of the State during and after the Revolution). "This Registe1· contains a true abstract of an the certificates issue.d at the Auditor's office to officers and soldiers of the Virginia Line on Continental Establishment. J. Pendleton, Auditor. Aud's. Office 1st ...A... ug. 1792. Teste J. Carte.r

91 "A list of Soldiers of the Va. Line on Continental Establishment who have received certificates forthe balance of there full pay Agreeable to an Act of As­ sembly passed November Session 1781 Men's Names By Whom Received Days When Sums Altozira Emery Wm. McKee April 25 a36 Sol. Infantry Besides the original reference, this item is cited in Eckenrode's "Soldiers of Virginia," Vol. 8, p. 18. It' was also sent us by the Adjutant General's Office, War De­ partment. We have gone into detail for the benefit .of those who wish to join patriotic societies. Dividing £36 by the daily pay of one shilling four pence, we have a fraction of a day over 18 months. Hence no doubt, the. Veterans Administration's state­ ment that Emera served at least 18 months. After the war, the Continental Congress was not only deeply in debt and without money; they had no power to tax the colonies. Not until some years later did the central government acquire power to raise money by taxation. Certificates were issued to the soldiers, a form of promissory notes. These were often sold to raise cash, of course at less than their face. value. William McKee purchased Emera's. Land warrants issued as compensation were also sold. William McKee was a resident of Rockbridge, jus­ tice 1779 and sheriff in 1781. In 1770 he took the tith­ ables, or listed those subject to head-tax for the support of the established church.

92 CHAPTER 10 From Rockbridge to Montgomery In Rockbridge, 1782, Emera was involved in a law­ suit. On page 323 Court Order Book I is this entry: "At a court held for Rockbridge County, Sept. 3, 1782. Present. John Bowyer, John Trimble, David Gray and Wm. Patton, Gentlemen. "This day Emerick Altizer appeared in Court in Discharge of his Recognizance, being charged by· James Bailey with a Breach of the Peace, Where­ upon, witnesses being examined and the parties· heard, it is considered by the court that the said· Altizer be discharged from his recognizance and that the said com~lainant Bailey pay the. costs of this prosecution." It appears then that if Emera fought or used harsh language toward James Bailey the court thought he had provocation and Bailey had to pay. But other trouble arose. From page 361: "At a court J?eld for Rockbridge Co. Feb. 4, 1783, present John Bowyer etc. "Emerick Altizer Plentiff } against in case James Bailey Defendant "Thomas Burges came into court & undertook for the defendant, that in case he shall be condemn­ ed. in this action he shall pay the Costs and Condem­ nation of the Court or render his body to pri~on, in execution for the ~ame, or that he. the sa~d Thomas Burges will pay the costs and condemnation for him." We do not know the outcome of this suit, but we guess that Emera won, for on page 862 J·ames Bailey -is suing Emera and Mary; no doubt bent on revenge:

93 "James Bailey & John, an Infant Plentiff ~ against in case Emerick Altizer & wife Defendant On the motion of the Plentiff, leave is granted to take the deposition of Thomas Williamson de bene asse.. " It is disgusting the way James BailP,y drags his friends in to take part against Emera. Do you suppose John Bailey, the infant, was at the bottom of the trouble? Perhaps he slugged little David or e.ven bit his ear, to try to act like a man. Perhaps Mary thwacked him in defense of her child, and hence was involved in the suit. Ill _feeling continued from February to November. Emera .decided to commit no breach of the peace this time. He'd have the law on Bailey. Page 502, Book I: "At a court continued and held for Rockbridge Co. the 6 day of Nov. 1783 "Emerick Altizer Plaintiff} against · in case James Bailey Defendant But the court was tired of them: "This suit is ordered to be discontinued and the Defendant agrees to pay costs etc." His victories over Bailey must have encouraged Emera to another lawsuit: ''At a Court held for Rockbridge. Co. Oct. 4, 1785, Present: John Bowyer, Wm. Walker and Wm. Moore gent. "Emerick Altizer plt. against ~ on a petition William Scoffield de.f. This time he was not so lucky: "This petition is ordered to be dismissed." Emera thought since his case was dismissed he should not pay his witness, but the court ordered other­ wise:

94 "On the motion of Robert McColpen a witness for Emerick Altizer against William Scoffi.eld order­ ed that he pay him fifty pounds of tobacco for two days of attendance according to law-" State tax lists in the State Library begin 1782. Emera must never have received title to the land on which he lived in Rockbridge, for he paid no land tax. In 1782 Emery Oldhouser paid tax on 2 horses, 3 cattle, one tithable in the home. This list was signed by An­ drew Reid, Clerk of Rockbridge County. Emerick Altizer paid tax on 2 horseSt 2 cattle in 1783. List entered Aug. ~5, 1785 shows Embry Altizer, 2 horses, 2 cattle. In 1786 Emry Altizer, still one tithable, 1 horse, 3 cattle. June 15, 1787 list of taxable property within the district of John Robinson, commissioner, shows Emerick Altizer, 1 horse 1 cow. Emera must have been away a part of 1787, for in October he bought prope.rty in Montgomery. We learned from several sources that he stayed for a while on the Kanawha River near Charleston, making salt, before he locat~d in Montgomery. It was customary in establishing a home on the frontiers for the head of the family to go to the section where he wished to locate, select a site, procure a deed and return for his friends. A few males would cross the mountains by packhorse in the spring, raise a crop of corn, pumpkins and potatoes, build cabins and bring out their families in the fall. Al1 · the men worked together at the building, casting lots to see whose cabin should be built first. But the salt works were far in the wilderness, and it is evident that Mary and the children remained in Rockbridge until Emera bought the property in Montgomery. The first purchase being in 1787, it appears that Emera preceded Daniel Boone at the salt springs. The old hunter Boone built his cabin there in 1788 or 1789, knowing that game would come to him. The deer came for salt; wildcats, panthers and bears came to prey upon the. deer. The Indians had made. salt on the Kanawha River

95 long before the whites cme. Batt called them the "Salt Indians" in 1671. They collected the saline water of ·a · spring in wooden troughs and boiled it by dropping in hot stones. The brine was weak and about eight hundred gallons must be evaporated to make one bushel of salt. It was such slow work that they made only small quan­ tities. In western North Carolina, they early passed it as an article of trade; perhaps as money. It was formed into small square cakes, black with impurities and dirt. These salt deposits were formed when in long-past ages some arm of the sea was cut off by an upheaval of the earth and made into an inland lake. The water e1taporat­ ed leaving its salt behind. Subterranean water dissolves the salt and brings it to the surface as salt springs. Volumes have been written on the romantic stories of the roads the pioneers followed. From the Pittsburgh region to Maryland and Berkeley, Emera followed Brad­ dock's road built during the French and Indian War. Washington had used the trail first when he made a re­ connoitering trip and advised the building of Fort Pitt. Before his time, it was an Indian trail-the Nemacolon Trail. The Indians burned the forests along this route, grass. grew up and herds of buffalo came to feed. It was the great Iroquois war-path. The mound-building aborigines had used it before the Indians. The rivers were the first highways of the settlers and later, the. roads often followed river valleys. The "Penn­ sylvania Road" through the Valley of Virginia followed the courses of the Shenandoah, the headwaters of the James, passing thence to the Gre.enbrier. Still further westward, travel was by way of New River, and down the Kanawha. This route Emera may have. followerl to the salt works. A water route from Pittsburgh down the Ohio and up the Kanawha was another way by which the frontiers were reached. The Ingles-Draper settlements were at first out­ . lying_ posts in the wilde.rness. They became points of de-

96 parture for settlers going west. Dr. Thomas Walker who organized the Loyal Land Company in 1748 passed this way and seeing the. importance of the settlements, mark­ ed out roads leading from them to the west. One of these was the famous Wilde,rness Road. It led into Southwest Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee by way of New River,. Fort Chiswell, Cumberland Gap and the Boone trail. Many of the early English settlers in our section, however, came from the. east by lower Virginia, crossing the Blue Ridges at Wood's Gap between the heads of Little River in Floyd County and Smith's River in Patrick County. Scouting parties and settlers going to the frontiers still traveled with pack horses, me.n and boys walking, women and little children riding, the few goods loaded up-on others of the four or five horses. But wagons were in use in the Valley as early as 1737; a map by William Mayo gives about eight miles above the site of Harper's Ferry a road called "wagon road to Philadelphia," which strikes north-east into Maryland. A party of Moravians migrating in 1753 from Pennsylvania to North Carolina came in a wagon dr3wn by six horses, and "not infrequ­ ently they had to unload in part and transport their goods in parcels ove.r the hills." Possibly Emera and his family came in a wagon, but there is no mention of one in any inventory of their goods; and Mr. Jim Duncan in his stories of the Elkins family says that the only vehicles people then had were sleds. A list of those who paid taxes on horses in 1802 shows Emera's three elder sons paying tax on one horse each, probably part of the pack train with which the.y came to Montgomery. But a little later the covered or Conestoga wagon be­ came an integral part of their lives. Even today they are often called 'Floyd wagons.' They were used by Penn­ sylvania farme.rs long before immigration down the Val­ ley began, and they played an important part in the settlement of our country down to a time within rrtemory

97 of living men. They are graceful-appearing vehicles. The staunch and sturdy body was always painted blue; the wheels and running gear red. The white linen or hempen cloth ·cover was supported by a framework of hoops. It rose slightly high~r and projected a· little, like a bon­ net, at each end. The body was concave to prevent the load from slipping. Such a wagon could carry five tons. It wag drawn by fi.ve·or six heavy horses. The harnesses often had hoops of bells above the horses' heads, selected to chime harmoniously. Up and down the. hills, through the mire and under­ brush, over the ruts, across the meadows and the fords, the covered wagon v1ent bravely and steadfastly. In it the pioneers could l)lace their trust. At a little later date, many of our ancestors went to West Virginia, Mis­ souri, Kentucky and Indiana in them-; and we are not sure.i that Emera did not use one also. In whatever manner they came, Emera and Mary brought with them the chair from Germany, a few iron cooking utensils, dishes, bedding, axes and knives; pro­ visions for the journey, packets of see.ds, perhaps a few cuttings of some beloved flowers; and of course, the guns. Emera and his two grown sons carried theirs, keeping a wary eye out meanwhile for marauding redskins. Many old people told us that there were. still plenty of Indians here when Emera came. and that he was forced to "whip a few." Emera was now about forty-five years old; Mary was twenty-eight in 1787, the date of the first deed. We should like to know their thoughts as the horses and men plodded onward. Emera probably thought of his land, the crops he would raise, the money he might make from hunting, both from the bounty paid for the scalps, and !he sale of the pelts. Mary, like Lot's wife, perhaps look­ ed back for one last glimpse of familiar things. Further into the wilderness, further from home, furthet· from mother-for David Miller had now been dead r.vc years

98 -their path led. The years since her marriage had been hard ; first the war, then the hard times foilowing it; lit­ tle children to care for. Now she would never have the lace fichu such as she had heard the women of Philadel­ phia wore; never would her hair be powdered. She would wear linsey-wolsey all her days, and do her hair in a bun at her neck. Father would chide her for such worldly desires if he were living, stern Preswterian that he was, but she had married at fourteen and now she was still a young woman. But marriage was truly for better or for worse in those days, and so she went with Emera down the road between the Blue Ridges and the rugged· Alleghanies. ·

99 CHAPTER 11 Buying a Home "Ach ! ya, it is a fine place, Mary," he must have told her. "A house, already, an orchard, the river, where you can wash the clothes and bathe yourself as you did in the warm springs of Berkeley; all is gemutlich. You will see." Montgomery records show that on Oct. 6, 1787, Richard Mynatt of Montgomery County leased to "Am­ brose Altizer of Botetourt for five shillings a parcel of Land in the County of Eotetourt, situated on the waters of the North fork of the Roanoke River, 400 acres, and all houses, buildings, orchards, ways wat~rcourses and profits, commodities, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever." It was the English custom to make a conveyance of property by two instruments, a deed of lease and a deed of release. The consideration nam~d in the first was us­ ually five shillings. The deed of release was the real deed, and was always dated one day later and named the actual price. Sometimes mention is made of the purchase.r's receiving a twig from the seller in token of possession. This form of double conveyance was abol­ ished soon after the Revolution. On October 7, therefore, Richard Mynatt and Sarah his wife sold to Ambrose Altizer of the county of Bote­ tourt this same property for fifty pounds. The pound was then worth $3.33, making the. price $166.50. Prob­ ably the sum Emera received for his soldier's pa.y certi­ ficate, plus his interest warrant, provided him with money to purchase this land. Together these would have amounted to a little over $226, had he received the face value. He of course realized somewhat less than this. In these hard times, money was scarce. All sorts of currency were used. The English shilling was 16 2-3 cents; the penny a little more than a cent and a third .

. 100 Three-pence, sixpence, and nine-pence were sums often referred to. Spanish American silver coins circulated also, the Mexican dollar being of the same value as ours, worth six shillings. The old names of counties clung long after the ter­ ritory had legally acquired new ones. Thus Emera is said to be of Botetourt and the land to be in Botetourt. While he lived- on the Roanoke River property, his son Jonas was born ir:. 1792 or 3. Emera kept this place only six years. On August 24, 1794, he and Mary sold "A parcel of land on the head waters of Roanoke near Hans Meadows," 400 acres, to Th_omas Lewis of Montgo­ mery County, for 26 pounds, little more than half what he had paid for it. In spite of the noted German thrift and the Scotch canniness with money, we. fear that Emera and Mary were not the keenest of business people. But perhaps Mary did not find the place so gemutlich after all; the neighbors niay have been unpleasant, or the place haunted. Haunts were in better social standing then than now, but however respected, they were un­ desired housemates. In the old documents we found a great diversity in the spelling of both Christian and surnames. Emera ap­ pears as Ambrose, Embry, Emera, Emery, Emory, Em­ mery, Emeza, Emorick, Amorick, and Amery. In this particular deed he is called Emera in the body of the conveyance and Ambrose in the signature. A study of proper names discloses that the. German names Emeric, Emerick, Emery, Amery, Almaric are variants of the, same name. The meaning of Amal is uncertain, but ric means a ruler. So while. variations in the records are no doubt due to ignorance on the part of writers, they yet did not stray far from the accepted Ge.rman forms. Al­ t!zer in the records is spelled Althausen, Althauser, Al­ tozira, Alteze,za, Altiser, Altisear, Altiseir, and Alltizer. The Lewis deed was signed by Emera and Mary with their marks. Some of the other docume.nts show

101 marks·; ()thers do not. Wayland in his History of the Ger­ man Element.in the Shenandoah Valley says: "The writer has found that a considerable num­ ber of the old German landholders could not write their names: at least they did not write them. • It is likely, however, that some who made their marks d,id so not because they could not write but because the ind·enture was written for them in English; and so, rather than sign in German to an English instru­ ment, they made their marks. It is probable that in the great majority of cases, when the instrument was drawn in German it was also signed in German by the maker without a mark. . . . Some could not. Their illiteracy was the fault of their day and gen­ eration, rather than of any individual, class, or na­ tionality. When men and women undertake to con­ quer the wilderness and plant civilization in the face of savage enemies, they must forego for a while many ·of the things that belong to civilization and make it desirable. Felling forests, grubbing stumps, plowing virgin soil tightly tangled with roots, and preserving scalps in the place assigned them by nature become duties of such strenuous and persistent sort as usually to crowd out the extensive reading and writing of books." Even a casual glance over the. old deed books in almost any county will prove t_hese statements. Among the English also, many people of means and opportunity for their day could not sign their names. Only about fifty per cent of persons on juries could do so. Of- those making deeds, only sixty per cent of the men and thirty­ three per cent of the women in eastern Virginia (these mostly of English descent) could write their names. -There were few private schools and no public schools. Not until after the war betwee.n the states did more than a few counties of Virginia have any system of free schools.

102 We believe that Emera learned to write in later life. The signatures on deeds would indicate this. Then too, there is a deed to Adam Akers--the only original paper of Emera's extant, which is now our prized possession. This the custodians of Montgomery records believe to ·be in his own writing. The spelling is atrocious arid the penmanship poor, but it is pointed out pridefully to visit­ ors as it hangs in a frame on the wall. It was while they lived on Roanoke River, or between the sale of that property and the purchase on Little River, that Emera built the first house in Chriiansburg. We heard the story from five people representing differ­ ent lines of the family. He cut and hauled the logs and built a one-room,, cabin near where the Pierce home now stands- The house stood until a few years ago. Joe Altizer, who remembers it, says that the,brick chimney covered half a side of the house. It is uncertain whether Emera lived in it, although some thought he did. Other~ believe it was the old log court house. Christiansburg, first called Hans Meadows, was established in 1792 by Israel Christian. He was "a very prominent citizen." He came to Augusta County in -17 40, and was Burgess for that county for several terms. H·e lived in Staunton, where he was a merchant, before he moved to what was then Botetourt County, where he founded the town of Fincastle. His wife was Elizabeth Stark. Yet despite his notability, a Botetourt court order book shows him being sued for five pounds in 1763 for having two children taught dancing. His son, Colonel William Christian, is well-known for his part in the Revolutionary War. In chapter 27 are further facts about the family, into which married many descendants of Emera's son David. Tradition says that th~ land for the public square of Christiansburg on which the court house stands was deeded to the town for that purpose by Christiana Wal­ ters, wife of George Walters. These were the progenit-

103 ors of the Walters family in Montgomery. It is also said that the town of Christiansburg was named in compli­ ment to Christiana. Should this acre be used for any other purpose than a public square, it reverts to her heirs. The first court house on this site was built of hewn logs. Christiana's sons assisted in building it. For further de- tails of the Walters family see Chapter 27. - From Joshua Wilson (a Revolutionary Captain of Montgomery militia) Emera purchased a land warrant, probably issued to Wilson in lieu of soldier's pay. A Montgomery book of surveys contains this item: "Surveyed for Ambrose Altizer 588 acres of land by virtue of two entries, one for 500 acres made the 3rd day of January, 1792 (In the name of Joshua Wilson which is asigned to said Alltizer) on a land office ~easury warrant No. 21371 dated the 15th Dec. 1783, the other for 88 acres made the 20th day of Sept. 1798 on a land office treasury warrant No. 833 dated the 7th day of May 1798 Lying in Mont­ gomery co. on the wate.rs of Little River, a branch of New River and bounded as follows .... etc. Signed Andrew W. Henr) Gordon Cloyd Compleated 21st Sept. 1798 Variation 3 degrees each." Boundaries in surveys and deeds were shown by trees, stakes, other properties, and impermanent land­ marks which mean nothing now. This place became Emera's permanent home. It was near the. mouth of Indian Creek on Little River. What is in 1936 called the "John Jone-s place" appears to hav~ been a part of it, as best we can trace the ownership of the. land. A writer says : "After the Revolution the land or public domain belonged to the state." (Hitherto it had been consid­ ered the property of the British king.) "The land seeker, armed with a warrant from the. State Trea-

104 sury, perhaps the result of military service, applied to the county surveyor and had a tract set off. This survey was the basis on which a patent was issued after one or two years or perhaps much longer. The survey might be assigned to another man and several assignments might precede the patent. A transfer of this sort had to be attested by two witnesses. There was much trading in land warrants and some money was made in these transactions. Regularity in surveying was seldom observed. The first comer ran his lines in any fashion that would give him a maximum of good land and a minimum of cull land. The surveyor held office during good behavior."

105 CHAPTER 12 The Life of a Settler Upon this new prope.rty Emera must build his own house ·and barn; ·of logs, like other structures of the time and place. He and his sons felled trees, cut them the . proper length, hewed them flat ( after the earliest days, round-poled cabins were a mark of 'trifl.ing11iess'), notch­ ed the ends and built a house much as a child builds a pen of sticks.After the walls were seven or eight feet high, the end logs were made shorter until the side logs came together in an apex. A tree was then hewn into boards and with these the roof was covered. The boards were held in place by weight poles laid across them. The floor also was of the hewn boards, smoothed as much as possible with a broad axe, and held in place by wooden pegs. A ladder led to the loft. The narrow crevices between logs were carefully chinked with mud and pieces of wood. The one door was thick and heavy and strongly fastened. Probably there was only one window, and that narrow, panes of glass being only nine by ten inches. As he built, Emera kept always in mind the dreaded "Injun," at whom he himself had taken pot shots. The fewer openings in the house the fewer there would be to defend in case of a raid. Dreadful tales were told of the savages' forays­ of poisoned arrows, the beating out of little ones' brains against logs, scalpings, hot coals upon raw and bleeding heads,, burning alive, running the gauntlet. No wonder they had but one door and one window. A great chimney of unhewn stone was at one end of the house. It was large enough to take. a nine foot log. Under the house was a pen into which the lambs were driven at night to protect them from the cold and the wolves. For there were still plenty of gray wolves, as well as black bears, panthers ( called 'painters'), and wildcats. Foxes, minks, weasels and skunks ate his

106 chickens, ducks and geese by night, and hawks carried them off by day. Copperheads and rattlesnakes menaced his children. Deer and an occasional elk or buffalo ate his crops. There was little rest and security; day or night, for the pioneers. Probably a few years later, Emera added two small­ er rooms to his house, opening out of the main room, and a piazza in which hung saddles and other gear. This piazza was particularly a feature of houses built by Ger­ mans. Their homes excelled in sturdiness and durability of construction. The barn was built early; it had two rooms with between them a cove.red platform, open at the ends, where threshing and other such work was done. A loom house, a smokehouse, a granary and a springhouse were e:ventually built. The springhouse covered the spring, and also contained a trough through which the cool water flowed, refrige.rating the milk and other food set therein. Often overgrown with vines, it was a cool shady retreat in which to sip water from a gourd dipper in the middle of a hot day in the fields. The work day began early. Before it was light, Mary and Emera and the. older children were up~ Late rising was a disgrace. Emera 'ate hearty' of his break­ fast. Then he and the· boys left the table. by stepping across the benches of puncheon slabs with hand-whittled, pegged-in legs. Each took a good mouthful from a twist of home cured tobacco, and went out to work. What did they do? It would be easier to tell what they did not do. The building, and the clearing of per­ haps a fifth of their !and completed, they made farming implements: First they must fell trees, hew the timber, and make a crude plow with a hard-running awkward wooden mould-board ; a triangular harrow with wooden pegged-in tee.th, which soon wore down and must be often renewed; hayforks of crotched saplings; other hand tools; a sled for logging; harnesses, not of leather, but 'gears' and horse-collars of straw bound together with

107 hickory bark; lines, bridles, hames, back and sidebands of hickory bark; double and single trees of wood, to be hooked to the plow or harrow with hickory withes. Thus equipped, they prepared the soil and planted the crops: small lots of corn, rye, buckwheat, barley, oats, wheat, tobacco, flax, hemp, and sorghum cane. They set out apple and cherry orchards, the young trees being grown from seeds or sprouts. They made gardens con­ taining beans, potatoes, gourds for household utensils, pumpkins, turnips but no lettuce or tomatoes. They tended the crops and harvested the grain with hand sickles. Three hands were a sheaf and a day's work was about 400 sheaves. An expert reaper cut close to his left hand, which held the grain, and often miscalculations resulted in a maimed or scarred me,mber. They threshed the grain by beating it with a flail, at the rate of about fifteen bushels a day. They earned part of the grain to mill; (in the earliest days they must grind it themselves). Part they stored for the stock, and as crops became more abundant, they used part to make whiskey. They cut and shocked the fodder, husked corn, and disposed of it as of the smaller grains. They cured the tobacco; cut the flax and hemp, removed the flax seed, spread flax and hemp stalks in the open for sun and rain to rot away the succulent portion; after a month, they brought in the foul-smelling stuff, broke it by blows of a wooden knife to sever the bark ana make it easie.r to remove ; scutched and hackeled it to rid the fl bre of the bark; boiled it in lye to soften it, bleached it on the grass, when it was ready to be spun and woven. The women and children helped with this work of p,reparing the flax; at odd times the men helped with th.e weaving. They made sorghum molasses to sweeten the food. In the spring, they tapped sugar maples and boiled the sap into the delicious sugar and syrup. Honey bees came into the country only. with the white. man. But often 108 swarms went into the woods and hived in hollow trees and stumps: Emera and his sons would cut such trees and get the honey, being well stung in the process, for there were n_either nets nor bee-smokers to be had. Probably he also kept bees of his own. They gathered the apples and buried them, together with cabbage and turnips, for winter use. Part of the cabbage was made into sauer-kraut by cutting it up, pounding salt into it and allowing it to ferment. They tended the stock, butche.red the hogs when the weather was cold enough for the meat to keep until it could be cured, salted and smoked the meat, and hung it in the smokehouse- They sheared the sheep, washed, combed, carded, spun and wove the wool; occasionally they kill­ ed a beef, cured the meat, tanned the hide, and made moccasins, shoes, and saddles; hunted bears! dee.r and small animals; cured the skins, made fur hats and leather pantaloons for winter; skinned rattlesnakes, boiled down their meat and the fat of bears for oil which was good for rheumatism; carved deer and cattle horns into combs, powder horns and 3ometimes hairpins for the women­ folk; made furniture, wooden trenchers, noggins, and gourd utensils for the home, looms and spinning wheels, and a few wooden toys for the. children ; fenced some fields, cut logs for firewood, made hay, straw hats, and each fall filled the strawticks which served as mattresses with new straw or hay or moss. If Emera found 1·elaxation from his labor in his jug .1f whiskey, can we r.ot e-xcuse him? H-e was not a law­ breaker, for there vv-ere no laws governing the manu­ facture of spirits, and its use. ,vas prevalent throughout the land. The clergy did not frown upon it; in fact, the preacher often fortified himself with a nip before. deliver­ ing his sermon. Both men and women used it and it was quite the proper thing to give sweetened toddy to little ones. Drunkenness was common, though no doubt as unlovely a spectacle then as now. A little later on, each

109 community had its "stillhouse.,'' where people had their grain made into whiskey at twenty-five cents per gallon. The stillhouse, the g.!"istmill, and after a time, the store were the public gathering places for the men. In the earlier years when grain was scarce and need­ ed for food, wine was the main tipple. This they made of wild grapes and herries, straw-, goose-, elder-, dew-, black-, and buckle-berries. They found also ground­ cherries, foxgrapes, wild plums and other wild fruits. Mary and the girls also stewed these for immediate use and dried some for winter. In many of Emera's duties he was assisted by the women-folk, but they had also much work considered to be particularly their own. They cooked over the incon­ venient fireplace, washed such dishes as they had ; work­ ed the garden, gathered the ve.getables, made the sauer­ kraut, pickled in salt some of the string beans, dried some of the full pods to make the delicious "leather-breeches," shelled the fully ripe beans, dried green corn cut from the cob, made hominy by soaking the hard grains in home-made lye until the outer husk could be re­ moved, washing it well, and then boiling it until soft; they cut up apples and dried them; dried gourds for household use; leached lye from wood ashes; made soap from this lye, meat skins, and refuse grease; washed the clothes in the river by beating the dirt out with a short stick; scrubbed the bare :floor with sand and water applied with a scouring broom made from a green hickory stick with the ends cut into mop-like strands; made "brush broom8" from home­ grown broomcorn. They cared for the poultry, gathered the eggs, often from distant hidden nests, dressed for table use such as they could spare. for the purpose; plucked the geese for featherbeds and pillows; dressed game. They spun the thread and wove the linen and woolen cloth from which they made every stitch of cloth­ ing worn by the men, women and children of the family,

110 and also sheets, coverlets, grain-bags, straw- and feather­ ticks. They gathered materials from which to make dyes for the cloth: walnut hulls, uncooked for brown, boiled for black; madder for red, maple-leaves for green; hick­ ory for yellow; for blue, if they used it, they must buy the imported indigo ; they knitted stockings and mittens for the family~ They mended and patched. Every scrap of cloth was precious for it represented hours of toil. They fed the hogs; made the. liver-pudding, souse and sausage, and "tried out" the lard. The, gathered plants for "sallett' and others for medicine; brewed these latter into remedies for their ail­ ments; the.y made tallow candles, at first by dipping a foot-long string again and again into the melted grease; later by using a tin candle mold. But they had not much use for candles; they rose at dawn and were ready for bed by dark. They raised a few flowers, provided the stock did not eat them or the chickens wallow upon them; they milked the cow, cared for the milk, and if there was enough, churned the butter in a homemade wooden churn. And much of this work the mother did while carry­ ing a baby astride her hip, part of the time while expect­ ing the arrival of another. When it was born she was without benefit of a physician. It would have been in­ delicate for a man to atte.nd her. This was perhaps just as well, for there was much quackery among the physi­ cians of the time. The granny woman was more to be. relied upon. She made her own medicines, using slip­ pe,ry "ellum," sassafras, boneset, · pokeroot, jimson (Jamstown) weed, mandrake, pennyroyal, and calamus root; alum, witch hazel, elder, spikenard, horsemint, dandelion, ele.campane and pipsissiway. Mustard plas­ ters were much in use; fried onion poultices on the chest we.re good for colds, cupping for pain in general.

111 For typhoid and digestive disorders, snakeroot was called for. The pith of sassafras made into a drink was given for dysentery. This same pith made into a paste wa~ applied to the lids for sore eyes. Sassafras was good for rheumatism and skin diseases. Another remedy for rheumatism was rattlesnake oil, bear's grease or the oil of raccoons, groundhogs or polecats rubbed into the afflicted parts and well "bathed" in before the open fire. Rhubarb was given as a purge. But calomel "was the keystone of medical practice, the Sampson of Medicine." It is said that each morning before bre.akfast Mary Altizer would brew some concoction of herbs, drink it, then go to the river, :plunge in and take a cold bath, wrap a blanket around her and return to the house. This lat­ ter habit she may have acquired in girlhood, living as she did near the warm mineral springs of Berkeley County, with their. medicinal qualities. In Rockbridge too she had found medicinal waters, the Rockbridge Baths, with the temperature of 72 de.grees being curative of skin diseases on account of an algae. At any rate, she lived to be ninety-one, whether because of these practices or in spite of them, we cannot say. In one respect only did Mary have the advantage of the modern housekeeper. She was not burdened with the care of many rooms and much furniture. The fire­ place on which she cooked was equipped with a spit for roasting meat and a crane on which she hung the dinner­ pot. There was a spider and a Dutch oven, both elevated on legs and having iron lids on which· hot coals we.re placed. Mary had a fe.w plates of china, probably blue bordered, and some pewter plates, cups and spoons. She had also some wooden noggins, trenche,rs and bowls; perhaps a piece or two of the Pennsylvania-Dutch slip­ or tulip-ware, brought down the Valley. And she. had her prized teaset with the pink :flowers on it-pieces of which· survive today. These articles were kept on a few shelves built in one corner of the main room. 112 In another corner was the low-poster bed, home­ made or contrived by some. wandering joiner. It was held together by strong hempen ropes interlaced in squares to support the strawtick and featherbed. The covers were of course homewoven, the most ·· popular colors being dark blue and white.. The "Doublebow Knot" or "four-leaf-clover" was the pattern of one; p,erhaps she had also the "Double Chariot Wheel" and the "Wheel of Fortune." There was a trundle bed for the smaller children with a flock-bed upon it, a sort of mattress stuffed with rags. In the loft, the boys slept upon pallets. The long table, benches, and perhaps a stool or two occupied a space near the window. The old chair from Germany, stood near the fire-place, a sheepskin spread over it to provide a measure- of comfort. This chair had a high back, the posts surmounted by large wooden balls. It survived to a comparatively recent date, being remem­ bered by Lou Altize-r Thompson in the home of Emera's grandson, Cornelius. But it cannot now be. found, so antique fanciers neect not waste their time. There may have been another chair or two, crude articles of home manufacture in ladder-back design. But there was not much time for sitting. They did not need many chairs. T.he f e.w spare articles of clothing hung on pegs in the wall. On the mantel shelf was a bit of looking-glass, a horn comb, and a bottle or two stoppered with corn­ cobs. On one wall was a pair of deer antle.rs upon which rested the. guns. From the prongs hung the powder horns and bullet pouches. And this was all. Says Blanton's Medicine in Vir­ ginia: "Inventories .and wills 'illumine a corner of life that is not without its surprises. The lists of household goods give a vivid picture of the pove.rty of those days. There is no indication of luxury and little of bare comfort in the carefully detailed catalogues of their evidently cherished possessions." Yet we may believe. with Robert

113 Quillen: "The pioneers were happy despite hardships. You see, they had little, but none of the, neighbors had more." - As time passed, Emera and Mary accumulated a few other things-a chest, a corner-cupboard, probably of soft wood, a few tools, another bed or two. An inventory of their possessions was made at the death of Jonas, their youngest son. Since Jonas inherited the· homeplace, most of these things had been his parents'. We shall presently give this list.

114 CHAPTER 13 The Akers Family It is now time to introduce. the in-laws of Emera's children. Of some we could learn little. Much was available about the Akers family, but since. we do not know the parents of Solomon and Adam, the earliest connections of the Altizer family, we c~uld not fit these into their proper place. Some later student may be able, to do so. The name is found in German as Acker from the old High German acker, acchar, farm or estate. The derivation of the English line is the kindred Anglo-Saxon word aecer, of the same meaning. The Angles and Saxons were Teutonic tribes who invaded England from the fifth to seventh centuries A. D., and gave their name, "Angle-land" to the. island, their speech supplanting the native Celtic. The author of the "Shearer-Akers Family" gives an interesting surmise. as to the origin of the Akers family : "The surname Akers is probably of English origin, though claimed by some to be. of German and others of Irish origin. The Coat of Arms and the Crescent of the English family run well back to the Crusades. The. name was originally Acres. King Richard gave to one of his courtiers named John, the town of Acre on the coast of Palestine. When. he re­ turned to England he was known as "John De Acre," and for many years the name was "De Acre." Afte.r a while the de was dropped and the name became Acres, until later changed to Akers." We, however, believe that the line of Akerses to be discussed here came directly from Germany, although representatives of the English line no doubt now live in America. It is thought that not all of the Montgomery and Floyd Akerses are related. The author just quoted evidently found no record of the immigration of the first

115 Akers he lists, nor did we find such a record. But later comers were indisputably German. Rupp's Thirty Thous­ and Immigrants include the following: Henrich Acker and Philip Jacob Acker who sailed from the Palatinate 1732. Jacob Acker from the Palatinate 1737. Georg Acke.r, listed as a "foreigner," sailed from Rotterdam 1750. Michael Aker, and others. While the following points do not prove that the Akers family of our section we.re German, they strength­ en our conviction that such was the case: The spelling Acker (a typically German word), Ackers, Acre, Acres, Acer and Akers are f 01:1nd used interchangeably in the first census, early wills, etc.; for instance Simon Aker, Augusta County 1749, appears in 1750 as Simon Acres; Acre, Aker and Akers were all found in Augusta; in Montgomery County, Blackburn Ackers appears in 1786; all other references to him show Akers. Early German settlements were made in New Jersey w he.re the above mentioned writer locates his first Akers. They are also e.arly found in Pennsylvania. Later refer­ ences show them in the Valley and nearby counties, such as Nelson, Rockbridge, Franklin and Montgomery, in­ dicating that they followed the usual route of German settlers. And last, but not least important, is family tradition among representative~ who have not strayed far from the old homes and hence have been in a position to reeeive reliable information from their eJders. It is possible, of course, that Germa'.l and English A~erses were both found in some of these se.ctions. Dr. Shearer gives the earliest Akers of whom we have found record-William Akers (?) (the. question mark is Shearer's), who purchased land in West Jersey prior to 1698, at which time he and others were granted 100 acres by the "West Jersey Company for a meeting

116 house, burial ground and schoolhouse in Maide.n town­ ship, above the falls of the Delaware." Next, Simon 1st (?). Probably William,s son, says Shearer. Died in .Hunterdon County, N. J. 1722. Simon's son, Simon 2nd, married in Chester County, Pa. in 1715 and is probably the same Simon who ·died in Augusta County, Va. 1749- Simon 1st also had a son John (wife Martha-), who bought land in Hunterdon County, N. J. in 1735. John's son Thomas patented land on the waters of Roanoke River in 1760. A third son of Simon 1st, Robert, was born 1703 in New Jersey, and married Sarah--(b. 1706; said to have been kidnaped from Wales when a child and brought to America). This Robert is of prime importance to us. One of his sons, William, born 1730, died 1810, mar­ ried Elizabeth Martye or Marte, probably the daughter of Heinrich Martye, from the ~alatinate, Germany, who sailed from Rotterdam in the "Alexander and Ann" and arrived at Philadelphia Oct. 1730. Martye patented 175 acres in Nelson County, Va. in 1751 and later moved to the present Campbell County; is buried in the second burial ground of the "Old Concord'' Presbyterian Church. Martye was a farmer. He had eleven children. William Akers, son in law of Martye, patented land in Nelson County in 1751. Then he we.nt to Campbell County. He was probably in the Revolutionary War, says Shearer. He too had eleven children. One of these was named William Akers, who mar~ rid Dolly or Polly Blackburn and settled in Franklin County. (The earliest Blackburns were. found in Chester County, Pa.; later Blackburns in Orange, Augusta, Fin­ castle and Campbell Counties.) This third William Akers' children we.re : · James m. Lucy Webster, dau. Luke and Sarah Web­ ster, 1782. J..iived in Franklin County, Va. Samuel m. M~ry Brown, Franklin County.

117 Daniel m. Rebeckah Webster, dau. Luke and Sarah Webster, 1792. Lived in Franklin. Nathaniel m. Elizabeth Akers, a distant cousin, in 1806. John m. Sarah Brown 1793. Blackburn b. 1770, d. 1854; m. 1816 Elizabeth Le Sueur b. 1789, d. 1884. dau. Martel and Eliza­ beth Bacon Le Sueur. (Martel Le Sueur was b. 1758 or 1761 in Manakin, Powhatan Co. Va. d. 1843 Franklin Co. Served in Revolution; m. in Chesterfield Co. 1781. Martel Le Sueur was son of David Le Sueur, vestryman of King Wil­ liam Parish, Va., and wife Elizabeth. David Le Sueur d. Cumberland Co. Va.) Blackburn Akers was in Montgomery as early as 1789 when he. witnessed a deed of Austen Akers; in 1822 he and Elizabeth sold land to Daniel Akers. Daughters, unknown. We do not know the father of Adam Akers whom Emera Altizer's daughter Nancy married. The first time he is m·entioned is in Montgomery in 1810 when Emera and Mary deeded him land. In 1817 he paid tax on 50 acres of land .on Little River adjoining James Scaggs. (James Scaggs owned land "on the west side of New River adjoining land of William Christian" and also on the "north side of New River adjoining his pate.nt land"). Blackburn Akers witnessed the deed from Emera and since kin were often called in as witnesses, he may have been a relative of Adam. One of Adam's sons was named Blackburn, strengthening the likelihood. -- In Floyd records, April 1, 1833, Adam Akers sold -. to Andrew Altize.r 150 acres for $100. Witnessed by An­ dre,w, William and Jonathan Reed. Nancy did not sign the deed. She may have been dead at this time. On Sept. 20, 1834, Adam _i\.kers sold land to John Belden, next to J ose.p-h Akers and Andrew Altizer "with the ex-

118 ception of the sugar grove." On Aug. 16, 1838, Adam ....t\.kers and Andrew Altizer sold to Elias Altizer 160 acres for $250. Deed witnessed by Emry Altizer, Humphrey E- Reed and Emry Reed. Of Solomon Akers we know only that he served in the Montgomery militia (see ChaJ)t. 8). His son William married Archibald Elkins' daughter Lydia. Their chil­ dren were: Randolph m. Nancy Altizer dau. John Altizer in 1831. Arch moved to Carroll County, Va. Andrew m. Susan Duncan, Floyd County. · Lewis m. Mary Chaffin. Daniel died in Washington State. Solomon II lived in Floyd County. Susan. Eliza m. Jesse w. Altizer, son of John Altizer. Lovis m. Mr. Worrell. Mary (Polly) m. Reed Duncan. · Investigators of the A·kers family in Montgomery will do well to remembe.r, besides Blackburn and his brothers, and Thomas and Jonathan, sons of the New Jersey John, the following: Aston (Austen) Akers, who married Rhoda Tomson in 1785; patented land 1787 "on the waters of Mill Cre.ek, a branch of Meadow Creek, waters New Rive.r"; deeded land to Joseph Fifer 1788. Witnesses: Claburne Akers, George Akers and Blackburn Akers. Claburne, the witness; married Elizabeth Thompson, 1789, John Thompson surety; on land tax list 1805. Jacob m. Ruth Hovvard, 1796. Boling Rodge.rs sure­ ty; on land tax list 1805. All these ite.ms from Montgomery records.

119 CHAPTER 14 The Elkins Family The English surname Elkins is said to be a corrup­ tion of the name Alche,n (a holder of lands in Shropshire under Edward the Confessor, the last Saxon king of Eng­ land). Ella and Alla were such frequent names among the Saxons that Englishmen in general were often called "Ella-kind," the race? of King Ella. The name appears in the Domesday Book, a great census which William the Conqueror,. the, Norman who overcame the Saxons in 1066, caused to be compiled. It appears in 1274 as Ele­ kin. The family has always been small in numbers. It was early seated in London. There a Robert Ellkyn held office about the time when Dick Whittington, owner of the famous cat, was mayor for the third time ( early part of the 15th century). Some.what later a Richard Elkins was granted a coat-of-arms. Still later, 1586, a William Elkin was alderman of Cripplegate, London. In 1559 George Elkins recehied the Bachelor of Arts degree at Oxford. In America, the states of Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts are associated with the name. It is listed among the Colonial Families of Pennsylvania. The name appears in New York in 1614, about five years after Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson River. A Henry Elkins of Amsterdam was an active me.mber of the United Company of Merchants, afterward known as the New Netherlands Company, formed for the purpose of dis­ covering "any new passages, havens, countries or places." A Captain Jacob Jacobsen Elkins representing some Lon­ don _merchants attempted to trade with the Indians in New Netherlands, later New York. The. Dutch director general refused to allow him to ascend the Hudson, but Elkins nevertheless did so. One of his men wrote : "After the factor (Elkins) had landed a good

120 quantitie of goodes, and had erected a tente, and traded with the Indians some few days; the Gover­ nor of the upper fforte, belonginge to the Dutch, cominge to the said tente with other Dutchmen with him, and perceivinge, that the said Jacob Jacob­ sen Elkins was very well acquainted with the In­ dians, and speake their language very well, and was much beloved by them; and that they were a great deal more willing to trade with him than with the Dutch; the said Gove.rnor envied att the said mer­ chants factor and the rest of the Englishe, and tould them that they should trade there no longer. But the said factor told the.m that they were .the King of Englands subjects, and that that land was within the dominions of the Kinge of England." But the Dutch authorities by force of arms compell­ ed Elkins to sail back down the Hudson and home to England. A Ralph Elkins who may have. been the progenitor of the Elkins family in Virginia received from Governor Francis Moryson a patent of land in York County Jan. 13, 1661. But he did not live there. Shortly afterward we find him located between the Potomac and the Rap­ pahannock Rivers in what was then Westmoreland Coun­ ty, later King George. He was a planter of tobacco, and his early shipments show his prospe.rity. He had sons Ralph and Richard, and probably others. Not far west of Westmoreland County was Orange, and there Benjamin Elkins purchased land in l748. In 1775 a Robe-rt Elkins bought land in Orange. •rhe earliest me11tion of the family in Monlge mery is in 1773 when Archibald, the father-in-law of John Altizer, has land surveyed : From Survey Book A : 'Surveyed for Archibald Elkins 40 acres of land in Fincastle County agree­ able to an order of Council De-c. 16, 1773 being part

121 of the Loyal Company's Grant lying on the north side of Little River, etc. Apr. 17, 1775. From Book C~: Surveyed for Archabald Elkins 180 acres by virtue of entry made on certificate from the commissioners for 250 acres dated Sept. ~! l, 1782. And further on in Book C. : Surveyed for Archa­ bald Elkins 500 acres of land by virtue of an entry on a certificate for the district of W ashingtou and Montgomery Co. Sept 21, 1782. Land office warrant No. 1661 by James Howard and George Turnbull. Archibald is said to have owned 1000 acres of land, part of which John's wife Elizabeth inherited at Archi­ bald's death. Archibald's wife was named Margaret. She died about 1830. They had six children: Mary, Elizabeth and Lydia, David, Absolum, and John. Mary married Wil­ liam Grimes on March 17, 1796, Peggy (Margaret) El­ kins giving consent. Lydia married William Akers. Archibald's will was probated in 1791: "In the name of God Amen, as I the testator am in a precarious state of health but perfect in mind and reason, I do announce this to be my last will and testement. "In the first place I commit my soul unto the liv­ ing God, I also commit my body to the care of my friends to be decently interred. I do allow as much of my moveable property to be disposed of as shall be sufficient to discharge all lawful debts. I do give and bequeath unto my wife Margaret one third part of the tract of land I now live on (viz.) the lower end of the survey (containing five. hundred acres) to enjoy all profits of said land during her life and after her decease to be equaily divided between my three daughters (viz. Mary, Elizabeth and Lydia) the other two thirds of said tract of 500 acre.s that is the upper end of the survey, to be equally divided when my son Absolum shall be ·21 years of age and

122 I do give and bequeath to my sons David and Abso­ lum the above mentioned divisions of land to them and their heirs forever, but if either of the aforesaid sons should die before said Absolum shall be of age said division shall be made and de¥olve on the next lawful heir, when the time shall elapse when said Absolum shall have. become 21 yrs. of age. I do also_ give and bequeath to my son John one hundred and thirty ~cres of land laying on _Camp Creek when he is 21 yrs. of age. I do nominate my wife Margaret, to be my executrix to dispose of the moveables ·and profits of all lands above mentioned according to the best of her judgment to bring up my children. "Given under my hand and seal as my last will and testame.nt. Archabald Elkins Seal Bonet (Barnett) Farmer Aug. 18, 1791 Ezreal Howard "At a court held for Montgomery County the sixth day of Sept. l 791 the last will and testement of Archibald Elkins was proved by the oath of Bonet Farmer and John Bishop and ordered to be recorded. Teste. Nine years after his death, on May 28, 1800, Mar­ garet marrie.d John Carmicle or Carmichael. The marriage bond gave her age as 21, which of course mere­ ly meant that she was of legal age. We have shown Archibald Elkins being sworn as a iJtevolutionary soldier by Stephen Trigg. John Car­ michael was also a Revolutionary soldier. He is prob­ ably the John Carmichael shown on the 1778 list of Rock­ bridge tithables. Carmichael is a Scotch name, mean­ ing Friend of St. Michael, from the Gaelic Cara Michel; it occurs in the 12th ce.ntury as KermichaeJ. Margaret was known in her old age as "Granny Michel." We received several Elkins stories from Mr. Ballard -Akers, grandson of ·Lydia.. He was her favorite grand-

123 child, and as a little boy slept with her in a tester bed covered with a canopy. Before they went to sleep, she would tell him stories of the old days. Of Margaret, her mother, she said that on the way to Montgomery, over the usual route from Pennsylvania, Margaret stop­ ped at a settler's house to get lunch. The.y gave her cornbread which she had never seen be.fore. She took it politely, but when out of s-ight, she hid it in a hollow stump. Poor lady. It is to be feared that before her days were over she learned to eat corn-bread, and in the slang of today, "to like. it." Lydia said that Margaret had killed a deer which ~warn up to her canoe, by holding it under water till it drowned. Lydia herself had killed two deer, one with a rock and one with the pole of a canoe. When she was a girl, one of the family killed a large rattlesnake. Full of curiosity, she opened its mouth with two sticks to look at the fangs. The poison flew out, higher than her head. She was soundly be.rated by her father. You may be sure they skinned the snake, made a belt of the hide and boiled down the meat to make oil for Arhibald's. rheuma-. . tism. Late in life, at the. age of 95, Lydia was baptised. Her mind was failing by this time. "It was a cold day in the fall of the year. She was mighty shaky. Some people called it palsy," Jack Altizer told us. "The.y led her out into the river, and she began to try to get away." Whe­ ther the baptism was completed we do not know. If poor Lydia had mind enough left to reason, she probably preferred the idea of hell-fire, on that cold day, to the icy water. But she met her death in that same river. At the age of one hundred, she attempted to cross it on horseback at Broad Shoals. She was said to be on her way to take salt to the cattle at .what is now the George Thompson place. The river was frozen over. But the ice broke, and the lumps knocked Lydia from he-r horse. She was borne

124 under the ice. The palsied old lady, struggling in the cold dark water, had nobody to lead her out this time. The horse came home with the saddle under its body, "all wet, and scared to death," but no Lydia. Their hunt for her was unsuccessful. But the following spring the little dog brought home to her pups a human foot and leg, still encased in a home-knitted stocking. They fol­ lowed the dog when she went out again and found Lydia in a pile of drift from the river. Her death oc­ curred about 1878. She is said to have been dark of complexion, hair and eyes, as was also her brother David. All the older people we talked with mentioned ''Uncle Dave" Elkins with faces alight with pleasure.. During our later visits we inquired about him just to see faces brighten. To be.gin with, "he could drink more liquor before he was drunk than any man of his time. He was six feet high and had a fist on him as big around as that porch column." The column in question was about fourteen inches in circumference. "Dave wouldn't hit a man with his fist," went on Jim Duncan of Radford, a descendant of Lydia ~nd William Akers. "He would slap him over, so he wouldn't hurt him so bad.'' "They used to have wood choppings. At one of these, some of them got to fighting. Someone went in the house. and told Dave that the Altizers and the--'s were fightin'. Dave went out and grabbed one. by the collar and the seat of his pants and threw him over the fence.. Then he grabbed another and threw him over. 'Do any more of you want to jump the fence?' he asked. 'If you do, come on'." This is the place to quote a historian who says : • · "The times were crude, coarse, rough and laborious. Wrestling was a sport often engaged in at the house-raisings, log-rollings, wood-choppings and other gatherings. Nearly always these contests developed into fights, in which teeth and feet, as

125 well as fists, were used. Men were addicted to liquor, fighting, and lawsuits." In Botetourt, court records show a Charles Givins certifying that his left ear was bitten off by Francies McDonald. He was not suing the McDonald, Lut only wished nobody to tldnk that his ear had been removed as a punishment f(;r crime. Gradually people grew more civilized, however. About fiftee.n years after the Revolu­ tion, a law was pa~~ed in Ohio imposing a fine of $50 for biting off an ear. Our ancestors only did as every­ oody else did in their day, and to leave out these pic­ turesque details would be. to give an incomplete picture !lf the times. Gifted drinker though Dave Elkins was, it seems that eve.n he had his limitations, and one summer day he went home drunk. He lay down on the floor of his cabin and went to sleep. "The Bishop boys were always playing pranks," Ballard Akers explained. They knew Dave was in the house and suspected he was on the floor. They threw a sheep down the. chimney-one of these great chimneys which could take a nine-foot log. ''Baa-a-a." said the sheep-, some.what startled at being thrown down a chimney. Dave rolled over. "Oh! yes, Mr. Devil!" he said t.o the sheep. "I've bee.n looking for you for a long time." For some reason, Dave was angry with the Judge of the Christiansburg court, and to show his disrespe.ct, he once rode a bull into the courtroom. At another time, he owed a bill, and the o:ffice-r came and took his horse to pay the debt. Dave was away at the time, but when he returned, he went to the stable where the horse was kept, grabbed an axe with which he knocked the lock off the door, took his horse, and went with it to the. mountain where he stayed for several days. We see him in 1802 paying 12c tax on his horse. He was a great hunter. Hunting was then profitable as well as pleasant. The government paid a bounty of

126 ten dollars for a ''painter" and five for a bear. This fee could be taken up in land. The Elkinses, we were told, "did nothing else. but hunt." Probably this accounts for part of Archibald's 1000 acres.. Said Jim Duncan: "Dave came to our house one day and said to my father: 'Louis, clean up your gun and we'll go out in the morning and kill three bears if not four'." They hitched a horse to a sled, their only vehicle. They went to the river and unhitched the horse-. Then Dave led the way to a cer­ tain tree which th~ chopped down. "Davy said 'Louis, the one that comes up on that side, you get it, and the-. one that comes up this side, I'll get it.' Sure enough the.y got two bears. Then they chopped down a hollow tree and got two more. One of the bears weighed 400 pounds." Twe.nty dollars for that morning's work. On another hunting trip, this time on Nax Moun­ tain, Dave got lost. ~right caine. With his flintlock rifle he crawled into a hollow log to sleep. The. panthers and beasts clawed and clawed, but could not get to him, and when morning came, he crawled out and returned safely home. Davy died a bachelor. Too bad. He would .have been a delightful ancestor for somebody. Returning briefly to the e.arlier Elkinses, we find on May 6, 1784, the marriage bond of Elizabeth Elkins and. Barnett Farm'er. Mary Elkins gives her consent. Thom­ son Farmer, probably brother of the groom, is surety. Daniel Dobins and Thomas Alley were witnesses to the marriage on June 14, 1785. (A year after the. bond. Did Elizabeth waver?) What connection Mary was of Archi­ bald's we can only guess. But cousin marriages were so frequent that we almost feel it a proof of relationship when twenty years later we find John,. presumably Archi­ bald's son, marrying the daughter of the marriage just mentioned. John Elkins and Elizabeth Farmer were mar­ ried April 8, 1824.

127 CHAPTER 15 The Ratcliff Family The Ratcliffs are of English origin. The name is found as Radcliffe, Ratcliffe, Ratlive, Ratlift, Ratclif, Ratcliff, Ratliev, Radliff, and Rattlecliffe. Several explanations have been given of the, name, two of which may be reconciled: 1. That the family is de... scended from Richard Radclyffe of Radcliffe Tower of Lancaster, England, who flourished in the reign of Ed­ ward I (1272 to 1307). 2. That the name is derived from a place in Lancashire, England, so called on ac­ count of a cliff of red rock on the southeast side. of the River Irwell. At the time of the West .Saxon Charter, the name was Re.adanclife. It occurs in the Domesday Book in the 11th century as Radeclive. The first of the nam·e in America was Captain John Ratcliffe. He. came with the first settlers to Jamestown in 1607, being commander of the smallest of the three ships, the pinnace called the Discovery. The expedi­ tion sailed from London on Saturday, sometime between the 20th and 30th of December, 1606, under _the charge of Captain Christopher Newport. Says Captain John s·mith (of Pocahontas fame) in his "Generall Historie of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles," published 1624: "The. first land they made they· called Cape Henry; where thirtie of them re.creating themselves on shore, wer assaulted by five Salvao-P.~ who hurt two of the English ve.ry dangerously. That night (April 26, 1607) the box was opened and the orders read, in which Bartholomew Gosnoll, John Smith, Edward Wingfield, Christopher Newport, John Rat­ cliffe, John Martin and George Kendall were named to be the Councell, and to choose a President amongst them for a yeare, who with the Councell should gove.rne."

128 Wingfield was the first president; he, was deposed be.cause he was blamed for the unhealthy condition of the colonists during the first summer, and John Ratcliffe was chosen the second president of the "councell." But the second summer was also unhealthy and Ratcliffe was also deposed, in July, 1608. Another subject of complaint against him was that he enlisted the men in building a governor's house. When Capt. Newport sailed from Virginia in December, 1608, Captain Ratcliffe accom­ panied him, and owing to Ratcliffe's and Wingfield's complaints, a new charter was obtained by the London Company who had sent out the colonists; and on the return, Ratcliffe commanded the Diamond, one of the ships in the great fleet of Sir Thomas Gates who bore the commission of Governor. Captain Ratcliffe writes to the Earl of Salisbury from Jamestown October 4, 1609 regarding this second voyage to Virginia: "Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Summers, Captain Ne.wport and 180 persons or thereabout are not yet arrived .... The other Shipps came all in, but not together; we were thus separated by a storme, two shipps had great loss of men by the calenture (yello,v fever) and most of them all much weather beaten." During the. temporary administration of George Percy, Ratcliffe was sent in October 1609 to build a fort at Old Point Comfort, which was named Algernourne Fort. The f ollo"ring December going to trade with the Indians, he was led into am'bush and killed with four­ teen others under his command at W erowocomoco on York River. Ratcliffe's wife was named Dorothy. She afterwards remarried. The immediate ancestors of Nathan Ratliff, whose daughter was the wife of Jonas Altizer, probably enter­ ed the Valley by way of the Northern Neck of Virginia, that is, the Potomac. A Richard Ratcliff died in York

129 County, Virginia, in 1716; in 1753 August 22nd, anothe-r Richard· Ratlive, probably his son or grandson, was granted ·68 acres of land on a branch of New River called Meadow Creek (then in Augusta County). Land Office Book 31.also shows a Samuel Ratlive receiving 104 acres on Meadow Creek on August 22, 1752. A deed in Au­ gusta records shows him selling this 104 acres "p,atented by Samuel Ratlive.. xxii day of Aug. mdccliii" to James Sayer- The land office next shows him patentin·g ·170 acres, 240· and 140 acres on Aug. 10, 1759 on Catawba Creek joining to Robert Poag's land. Thus Richard Rat­ liff was left on Meadow Creek. He is believed to be the father of Nathan Ratcliff, Jonas' father-in-law, born 1762, in what is now Montgomery County. From the Journal kept by Robert Wade, Captain of the Augusta Rangers, concerning a march to the Ne.w River in search of Indians, Saturday the 12th of August, 17 58 is this extract : . "Monday the 14 Inst. we started early and crossed the Blew Ledge, and Fell upon a branch of the Little River called Pine Creek, . . . we, followed the sd.· Creek down to Little. River and crossed the river & went to Francis Eason's Plantation where we continued tha~ night. Our hunters brought a plentiful supply of Ve.nison .... Next morning be­ ing tuesday the 15 Inst. we marct. down to Richard Rattlecliff's plantation on the Meadow Creek where we continued that night." These Rangers had shortly before been organized to run down and capture marauding Shavvnese Indians wherever they should be found. Other Augusta Ratliffs were Reuben Radliff who bought land from John Miller 1752 and 1797; SilasRat­ cliff who in 1758 was allowed 12 shillings for provisions furnished the Augusta County Militia; James Ratcliffe, listed in George Washington's memoranda on a "Roll of Artificers employed on the works around Winchester,

180 under command of Capt. Wm. Peachy," at some time during the Revolution, and who may be the James Rat­ cliffe listed in the 1790 census in Bucks County, Pa.; Thomas Ratcliff who bought land in Augusta 1767 from John- Taylor on the south side of the James River; and again in 1770 in Fincastle records bought land from Joseph Cooper. He is probably the Thomas Ratcliff' listed among the tithables in Rockbridge 1778, and the one who died in Bedford county in 1781. Nathan Ratliff's service in the militia is given in chapter 8. He married Polly Farmer in 1781 when he was 19; in 1803 at the age of 49, he was married to Patty Farmer by Ric1'ard Whitt, minister. Montgomery records show him surveying 279 acres of land on land office Treasury warrant No. 1528. In 1802 he paid 36 cents tax on three horses. In 1805, he paid 17 cents tax on 85 acres of land ·valued at 20 cents per acre. He died in 1835 at 73 years of age, having received his pension only two years. His will reads : "In the name of God, amen; I Nathan Ratcliffe of the county of Montgomery and State. of Virginia being weak of body but of disposing mind and me­ mory and considering the uncertainty of life, do make and constitute this my last will and testament in manner and form following: That is to say: "I have given to my son Jeremiah Ratcliffe one horse and one cow and other articles amounting to $50.00 also to my 80n William Ratcliffe, I have given $50.00 in property and also to my son John Ratcliffe the sum of $50.00 in property and also to my son Thompson Ratcliffe I gave one horse ~t twenty dol­ lars. Item, I give and bequeath to my son in law Jonas Altizer and Sally, his wife and their heirs foreve.r, one tract or parcel of land containing 145 acres lying and being in the county aforesaid on the waters of little River and bounded as follows: to

131 Wit, Beginning on the River at a corner of a survey of Jonathan Elswick therein to a pine and therein to there corners and therein joining anothe.r survey of mine containing 245 acres and therein to the begin­ ing; and further it is my will that after my decease that my executors shall sell the above named 225 acres and all my personal property of every kind and of the proceeds of such sales to pay to my daughters Rebecca Akers wife of John Akers the sum of fifty dollars and to my daughter Sally, wife of Jo_nas Altizer, the. sum of $50.00 and to m,y daughter Mar8' the sum of $50.00 and to my daugh­ ter Martha the sum of $50.00 and to my son Thomp­ son Ratcliffe the sum of $30.00 and all the rest resi­ due and remainde.:r of my property to be equally divided among all my heirs, Jeremiah and William, John and Thompson Ratcliffe, Rebecca Akers, wife of John Akers, Sally Altizer wife of Jonas Altizer, Mary and Martha my daughters: and lastly I ap­ point my two friends John Ratcliffe and Jonas Alti­ zer my executors. In witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand and fix my seal this 23 day of July 1834. hi~ Nathan Ratcliffe mark In the presence of Elijah Reed & George Godby Probated Monday, Jan. 5, 1835. His second wife rnust also have died before him, since she is not mentioned in the will. From a court order book : "Jan. 1835. The. last will and testament of Nathan Ratcliffe presented and proven, Executors John Ratliff, Wm. Elliott, Fred Quesenbery and Danel Nester acknowledges bond in penalty of 1000 dollars. Jonas .A.ltizer, the other executor

132 refused to burden himself with execution thereof." Which action seems ungrateful of Jonas, since he profited in a manne.r very handsome for that day by Nathan's will. Mary and Martha were evidently unmarried, and may have been the second wife.'s children. Her name ·too must have been Martha, since she was called Patty. Nathan's son Jeremiah married on Sept. 6th, 1803 Sally Nester, her father Frederick Nester and Nathan Ratliff being surety for the bond. In the same year occurred Nathan's second marriage. Sally Ratliff and Jonas Al­ tizer were married in 1819. Here we should mention the Farmers who married among· both the Elkins and the Ratcliff' families. They are of English origin, the name coming from Old Eng­ lish feorme.re, or husbandman. Farmers were numerous in eastern Virginia, arriving in the first half of the 17th century. A little later they appear in Hanover, Halifax and Orange counties. A Francis Farmour, b. in England, was mentioned in the Washington memoranda in 1756 und~r the command of Capt. Mercer during the French and Indian War. Frederick Farmer was in Halifax County in 1765. Elizabeth seems to be a family name for the women. Besides those given in the Elkins chap­ ter, an Elizabeth Farmer of Orange dee.ded land to John Tennant in 1736. In the same year, Thomas Farmer of Orange deeded him land. The earliest Farmer we found in Montgomery was Jeremiah who died 1792. He may have. been and prob­ ably was the father of Polly Farmer, the first wife of Nathan Ratcliffe and mother of Sally, wife of Jonas Al­ tizer. Contemporaries of Polly who may have been other children of Jeremiah were: Barnett Farm-er m. Elizabeth Elkins, dau. Mary El­ kins 1785. Thompson Farmer m. 1793 as second wife, Patty

133 (Martha) Godby dau. William and ~nner Godbey. William's will probated 1838 gives besides Patty, Benjamin, Francis, William, Ga­ briel, Sarah Gunter, George, Lucy Hedge Sus­ annah Covey. Thompson Farmer died 1815. Nancy m. 1790 a Cornutt son of William (probably Sr.). Mary m. John Canute 1790. In Carroll County lived James Farmer Sr. b. 1758, d. 1838; m. Susanaah--b. 1755, d. 1840. He, had sons James b. 1805, d. 1850, Michael and Isaac, and perhaps Howell and John; daughte,rs Elizabeth, and Rebecca who married Byrd Newman. Carroll was formed ~rom Grayson. Many of these names occur also in Grayson records. In Franklin lived a Matthew Farmer who had sons John and William who both married Wyatts in 1803 and 1799 respectively. Nathan and Jesse Farmer (Cor­ poral) were given in Sa:ffrell's Records of the Revolution as serving in Armand's Corps, Virginia quota; both en­ titled to lands for services. ·

134 CHAPTER 16 The Reed Family Even a contemporary of the early Reeds would have had a hard time to keep the. families straight, to say nothing of the individuals. There were so many of them; the name is spelled Read, Reed, Reade, and Reid with­ out discrimination; their children we.re named for rela­ tives, and they selected such unexceptional names as Henry, William, George and John so often, that ,we may be congratulated upon bringing even a little. order out of the chaos of 126 disconnected names of Reeds from the earliest down to about 1825. Some appear to have been Scotch-Irish and some German. The name means Red-haired or Red-complex­ ioned. A Sco'beh Reed was one of the survivors among ihe Covenanters when these were. overcome by the Royal­ ists at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge, Scotland, in 1679. A Henry Reade was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence- We were told by Burdine Reed that there were four sets of Reeds not related to each other. The immi­ grant ancestors of the four came from Germany, settled first in Pennsylvania; then came down the Valley and settled in lVIontgomery. Among the immigrants we found Johan Philip Ried from the Palatinate arriving in the 3hip Friendship 1727: Caspar Riedt from the Palatinate, 1728; and Ferdinand Reed from the duchy of Wirtem­ berg, ship Patience, .i 7 49. The early colonists in Frederick and Augusta Coun­ ties being both Scotch-Irish and German, we are unable to say, without more intensive study, to which nationality the following early Reeds belonged. In Augusta County: 1. Andrew Reed is mentione~ as early as 1736. He may have been the same Andrew who was coun­ ty clerk in Rockbridge about 1778, not having changed his residence~ perhaps, but the territory

135 having changed it~ name.: In Montgomery an An­ drew Reed, perhaps his descendant, married Eliza­ beth Irvine in 1827~ Andrew is of course a typical­ ly -Scotch· name.· 2. Samuel Reed of Augusta patented land in 1781 in Botetourt County, "76 acres on Back Creek, a branch ·of the Roanoke. River." His will probated Botetourt Jan. 1793 mentions children: Samuel, Wil­ liam (under age), N·ancy, Michael, Rachel, EHza­ beth ·Telford, Sarah Richardson, Jane Charter, Mar­ aret 'Gritton (probably Griffon), and John. 3. Pete.r Ree~ of Augusta sells in 17 53 to Peter Haas for 200 pounds 'Pennsylvania money' 680 acres on the Potomack. 4. Joseph Reed deeds lands to Alexander Love 1748. 5- Robert Reed deeds land to a Poague 1768. One Robert Reed died 1788; sale of estate 1791; wife. Margaret made admr. Another Robe-rt Reed (No. 6) died 1794. 7. One Robert Reed married Sarah Walker 1790. 8. Another Robert Reed married Sarah Not­ field 1790. These ,vere probably sons of the older Roberts just given. 9. Mat Reed makes a deed to a Davis in 177 4. In Frederick County, Edward R~ed died 17 48; Wil­ liam 1749; William 1752; Daniel 1762. In Rockbridge, Patrick Reed is listed among the titha bles 1788, along ,vith seven families of Re ids; Joseph Reed died 1798 ; James Reid appears in court 1783. In Franklin C,:>unty, Jean Read, daughter Samuel Reed (No. 2 of Augusta Reeds) m. William Charter 1787; John Reed m. Susannah Young 1790; William Reed m. Sarah Delaney, daughter Samuel and Mary Dulaney 1790; Henry Read r_1_ Pattey Akers, daughter William Akers 1790. (John and William above may have been 136 ~ons of San1uel Reed of Augusta). The Franklin Reeds 2.re espechtlly likely to have been connections ·of Mont­ gomery Re.eds, since thier wives' surnames were also fa­ miliar ones in the latter county. Many Montgomery families came from Franklin. In Botetourt County were Samuel Re.ed (see Au­ gusta), patented land and died in Botetourt; William Reed. will probated 1801, mentions wife Ruthe, children: William, John, Sarah. Ruth Ne,v, Ann Knox, Margaret Pe.rsinger, Rebekah Nysonger, Thomas, Mary Kimber­ ling, and Archibald; Rev. Joseph Reed died 1813. A Willia1n Reed from the Shenandoah Valley served 1777 in the 8th Regiment, known as the Ge.rman Regi­ ment, Capt. Thomas Buck's Company, called "Buck's Minute Men." Another route by which some of the Montgomery Reeds may have come is from eastern Virginia, through Lunenberg, Bedford and Franklin. Many Reeds settled in eastern Virginia f:rom 1635 on; of special inteerst is the arrival together of James Re2.d and George Hum­ phries Nov 18, 1663. .In Bedford or Franklin lived an Abraham Reed born 1735, died 1794, who married l\1artha Humphrey. In Montgomery we later find three Humphrey Reeds, father, son and son-in-law, both the younger me1f being called junior, indicating a fourth. It is probable that the son-in-law and his father were de~ scendants of this Abraham Reed. The father and son named Humphrey were son and grandson of a George Reed. Our confidence in the evidence of family names is warranted by the almost universal custom of naming children for their f 0irepare·nu,, the mother's maiden name be.ing a favorite Christian name for children. In Orange County, a William Reed purchased land from Jost Hite 17 40. Here also at this time were George and William Humphries. Probably all of these groups were somehow connected with each other. Two of Emera Altizer's children married Reeds,

137 and many of his descendants have since, married into the family. We cannot give the father of George Reed whom Betsy Altizer, Emera's daughter, married: Of only three of her children, Elijah, Mark and Emery,:,, can we be cer- tain. The other name·s shown on the chart may have been those of her children, judging by the persons who were surety for their marriages, and by the dates. Some may have been children of the George Reed who was the first husband o~ Emery Junior's se.cond wife, Mar­ garet Griffith Reed Altizer. Betsy's husband was much younger than a third George Reed, wife ·Anna, whose granddaughter was the first wife- of Emery Junior. This . family appears to have intermarried in a nu1nber _of in­ stances with the Reeds whom we show as possible chil­ dren of Betsy and George. George Reed, B-~tsy Altizer~s husband, was a Revolu­ tionary soldier. In the Virginia State Library is the rec­ ord of his pay certificate: "George Reed Soldier Infantry~ his certificate rec'd Nov. 22 1785 by Colonel Cropper £7, 9 shillings and 9 pence." Colonel John Cropper served under Col. Daniel Morgan. One little story completes our knowledge of Betsy A.ltizer. Stuart Altizer. whom we visited a few weeks before his death, remembered her. All old women. were called Granny in thos_e days. Both Jonas Altizer's wife, Sally Ratcliff, and Betsy Reed often visited Stuart's par­ ents. The children invented names to distinguish the two. Sally was lame. from white swelling; Betsy receiv­ ed a pension. "Your granny's coming," Stuart's mother would say and he would ask "Which one is it? Pension Granny or Hoppin' Granny?" Betsy must have lived ac­ cording to this story until about 1858 when Stuart was five years old. From a study of dates of their children etc., we believe that both Betsy and Nancy ,vere M~ry 1\/f iller's children.

138 George Reed's will is in Floyd records, probated Dec. 1837, mentioning his wife Elizabeth, fhildren Elijah, l\iark and others, number and. names not given. Emry Reed was of· course named for Betsy's father. Emry and Elijah lived in Floyd, and no doubt the others did also. There ,ve found that Emry died at 67 years of age in 1870 of consumption. Elijah Reed and Dicey his wife, and Emry Reed sold 12.nd to John Thompson Mar. 20, 1846. In 1830 Emery Reed paid $133 to Chas. Simmons for 213 acres of land, the witnesses being An­ drew Reed, George Reed and Elizabeth Reed. The will of the other George Reed, grandfather of Emera Junior's wife, was probated in Montgomery 1807: "In the name of God Amen, I George Read Senior being in perfect health in body and in mind do will and bequeath to my two sons Humphrey Reed.and William Reed the Tract of land where I am now living containing 293 acres it being and lying in the. county of Montgomery and on the waters of Little River and on a branch of Bever Creek joining Carter Cary's land, and Charles Simmons and An­ drew Reed and all the rest of my property to be equally divided among the rest of my sons and daughters at my and my ·wife's descease.; I being a residenture of Montgomery in the State of Virginia do acknowledge this to be my last will and testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my name and

affixt mv~ seal this 25th da ~v of June in the vear~ of our lord 1803. Teste George Reed (seal) George 8umpter Montgomery court 1807 Amariah Pharis l)rdered to be recorded" John Willson Elias Altizer Mary Reed Altizer was the daughter of this George's son, Humphrey Reed Sr. A deed between

139 Humphrey Senior's heirs and Ei:nera Junior completes the Reed data which concern us: "This indenture made the fifth day of Decem­ ber 1829 between the. legatees of Humphrey Reed all of the county of Montgomery and State of Vir­ ginia ,and Emery Altizer of the of the State and County aforesaid. The above legatees for and in consideration of the- sum of $70 to them in hand they bargain and sell and convey to Emera Alltizer a part of Humphriey Reed's land containing 80 acres by a black oak near a wagon road near Andrew Reed's fence thence with the wagon road near An­ drew Reed's fence to Emery Altizer and his heirs forever. In the presence of us Andrew E. Reed Ja. T. Dickson Peter E. Reed George A. Reed Hiram Reed George Reed Griffith Reed Humphrey Reed Michael Reed John Mikesell - Archibald Thompson Humphrey Reed Richard· Dulaney Wm. Scaggs."

140 CHAPTER 17 What the Pioneers Ate Food and drink will be a refreshing subject after so much hard digging into genealogy. Cornbread in the forms of baked corn pone and fried Johnny-cake was the staff of life for the early set­ tlers. But when crops we.re poor in the first days, and they ran out of meal before winter was over, what then? The answer w~ meat. Wild turkey and venison were 1 roasted, the dry portions sliced thin, and used in place of bread. Bear flesh was counted, however, as meat. These times, we hope, did not come often to Emera and Mary. And.nowadays with the price of meat so high, it seems to us that the variety to be had for the taking was something they should have been thankful for: besides bears, wild turkey and venison, there were rabbits, squir­ rels, pheasants, partridges, o'possums, and fish-blue 2nd mud cats, eels, trout and chubs, besides the mutton, pork, beef and fowls which they raised. But these last items were not plentiful. The sheep were needed for wool, the cattle. for milk, and the fowls for eggs, and feathers for the featherbeds and pillows. Pasture was scanty and the rield of milk poor. Often there was no milk to drink with the mush which was the usual dish for supper. In that case, it was eaten with sweetened ,vater poured over it for syrup, or with gravy from fried meat grease. Cornmeal mush is really a delicious dish. If you would like to make some, bring a quart of water to a boil, add half a teaspoon of salt, and sprinkle into it slowly, while stirring constantly, about one pint of sifted meal-enough to make it of the consistency of Cream of Wheat. Allow it to simmer ove,r a slow fire for about ten n1inutes, stirring often to keep it from burning. The approved method of eating it with milk was to dip e.ach spoonful into the glass before consuming it with a magni-

141 ficent disregard of noise. Left-over mush is e,xcellent when broken into bits. mixed with beaten eggs and fried as a breakfast dish. To make the gravy-now known as cream gravy and highly favored among connoiseurs of good cooking -stir two tablespoonfuls of flour into two tablespoons of the grease left in the pan after frying bacon, ham, chicken or other me.at. Add a pint of milk or part milk and part water, stirring well to avoid lumps, and boil for about five minutes. When you hear about southern fried chicken with cream gravy, don't forget that the latter is a contribution of your German forebears to American traditions. For drink, the pioneers had teas made of sassafras bark, and the leaves of chestnut, soft maple, sourwood, black walnut or wintergreen. If there was rye to spare, they had rye coffee. The vegetables they raised were cooked with salt­ ed side meat of hogs, a little later called "middlin's." They ate few raw vegetables. These were considered fit only for cows. The preparation of vegetables for win­ ter use has been given in our list of Mary's duties. ·'Leather-breeches" deserve further details. The name itself is of historical interest, harking back to the Ger- , man custom of wearing that sort of pantaloons for work. To make leather-breeches, use pods of full mature be.ans. Wash, and remove ~trings and ends. Thread them on twine with a darning ne.edle, and hang them up- until dry. Mary hung them on the side of the. house. Some­ body must run to bring them in if a rain came before they were dried. Pack them into bags. When you wish to cook them, wash, and soak overnight. Boil three or four hQurs with a gene.rous piece of middlin's, cooking until the beans are tender and most of the water has boiled away. If an extra supply of sour milk accumulated, it was made into schrneer-case (literally, fat-cheese) ; now-

142 adays it is cottage cheese. Cla b her was heated slowly. When the curds separated from the, whey and formed cohesive lumps, it was removed from the fire. the whey strained away and the curds squeezed in a bag until dry. It was then broken up and eaten with cream, salt and pepper. A sort of pie was made by baking large rounds of buttermilk biscuit dough, splitting them and arranging in layers like a cake, with sweetened spiced apple sauce spread on each layer. Milk was poured over this when eaten. But pie as we know it today was a contribution of the Pennsylvania German pioneers. In fact, George Rector of restaurant fame suggests that there is some connection between 1 he words pie and pi-oneer. So we may believe that the tradition of this typical Am·erican dish came down the. valley with our ancestors. Certain­ ly there was no lack of materials for its concoction, with the great variety of wild berries at hand. Lack of wheat flour in plenty was the only thing which could have stood in the way of its frequent serving. Wheat bread was not often served in the e.arly days. But when it did appear it was often in the form of salt­ rising, or if you are a stickler for grammar, salt-risen bread. Commercial yeast was of course unknown. Fer­ mented yeast was not always at hand. The delicious salt-rising bre.ad suited their conditions. The memory of a broken-off hunk of fresh hot salt-rising bread, its crust golden-brown, its interior oozy with plenty of sweet mountain butter, its aroma caressing the nostrils, makes those who have e.aten it dribble at the mouth. The only recipe ,ve could find comes from an old "Hand­ book." The quantities are not definite, but a little ex­ perimenting will be well worth while. Salt Risen Bre.ad "Slice very thin 3 m·edium sized potatoes, place in earthen jar, sprinkle over 1 te.aspoon salt, two of

143 sugar and three tablespoons sifted flour. Pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set in warm place till next morning. If foamy-looking, take· out po­ tato, use more warm water and flour and make a batter and set to rise. Whe.n well risen make up bread using more salt, lard, and warm water. Put in pan to_ rise.'' In his book "The German Element in the Shenan­ doah Valley," Wayland described the process of making apple-butter. "A feature of life in the autumn was the making of apple butter, a complicated and exacting, but at the same time an enjoyable process." Thirty, forty or fifty·~ bushels of apples were gathered for cide,r, the best being laid aside for "peeling in." The apples were first mashed in a hopper, the pulp being called "pomace." Then the juice was mashed out in a press, and boiled down in a large copper kettle holding from thirty to forty gallons. Meantime; the whole family with some neighbors would be peeling and schnitzing the apples selected for the purpose. (Schnitz is from the German verb of which the principal parts are: Schnei­ den, schnitt, geschnitte,n, to cut, or carve. The cut-up apples were called schnitzes.) After a kettle or two of cider had ~een boiled down and enough }apples schnitzed, the iatter were poured in and the fun began. After a little w bile the boiling mixture had to be stirred constantly. The stirrer was of two pieces. of wood; one perforated piece about four inches wide and long enough to -touch the bottom of the kettle. Into the top of this piece was mortised a handle, long enough -to ex­ tend out horizontally some eight or ten feet from the fire; two persons, particularly a 1 young man and a young woman, says Wayland~ could manipu_late this contrivance very conveniently. As the kettle boiled. more apples or more cider might be added from time to time; till final­ ly, somewhere about daylight next day, the mixture would be at the proper consiste-ncy and would be dipped

144 out with a copper dipper and put into gallon crocks. For many of our readers, the making of apple, butter will not need description, for the process still goes on every fall throughout Southwest Virginia.

145 CHAPTER 18 Clothing of Our Great Great Grandparents You would probably enjoy some of the food of our fore-fathers, but it is safe to say that you would not en­ joy wearing clothing like theirs, exce.pt to a costume party. The foundation garment of the women was a shift, somewhat later called a "shimmy" or che.mise. It was on the order of a present-day costume slip, cut off several inches above the knees. There was also a garment called an underbody, corresponding roughly to the mod­ ern bras~iere. Step-ins or their equivalent, were un­ known. Caroline Mi!ler in her Pulitzer prize-winning novel, "Lamb in Hi8 Bosom," describes her heroine as "feeling the nigh like a fool with all that cloth up and down betwixt her legs" when she donned pantalets for her wedding shortly before the Civil War. (We recom­ mend this book for vivid details of the time of Emera's children). An inventory of the clothing of two women of 1748 lists: "8 petticoats, 6 gowns, 2 jackets, 2 short cloa~, 4 fine shifts, 14 old coarse shifts, 2 silk handker­ chiefs, 3 hoods, shoes and stockings." As to the men's undergarme.nts, we must plead en­ tire ignorance. The subject has been grossly neglected by historians and by tradition. No mention is made of underwear in the clothing to be supplied the Revolution­ ary soldiers by the government. Could it be that they wore none? This much ,ve can tell you, however: red flannels did not come into use until about the time of the Civil War. The costume of the frontiersman such as we describ­ ed in the Revolutionary chapter continued in use until 1830, over a decade ~fter Emera's death. Only occasion­ ally did the men shave, and their hair was worn long. Mary's dresses were of linsey-woolsey, often plaid in color. She sometimes wore linen in hot weather~

146 S'kirts were long and full. Waists were just waists with no distinguishing features, high-necked and long-sleeved. Not for our frontier women were the bouffant overskirts and lace fichus of Ma:rtha Washington and her sort. Women wore woollen hoods in winter and coarse linen sunbonnets in summer. Children's clothing was much like that of their par­ ents. The entire household except the men of the family went barefoot in summer. In winter they had coarse home-cobbled shoes, or moccasins like those of the Indians, and home-knitted stockings.

147 CHAPTER 19 Superstitions . Like all people of their time, our forefathers be­ lieved in signs and spooks. Almanacks, such as Ben­ jamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack," were a power in their lives. They gave the phases of the moon, the · rising and setting of the sun and of the most con­ qpicuous planets, eclipses, and forecasts of the weather. The twelve constellations governing man's body may be found in many of the booklets advertising patent medi­ cines, which circulate today. These "signs" played an 'important part in the gr-anny-woman's treatme,nt of disease, in planting crops and other matters. Potatoes, beets, turnips and such root crops were plante,d in the dark of the moon ; stock plants, like corn, wheat and other grains, were planted in the light of the moon to insure a good crop.. Says Evan : "All grasses and plants of a spreading nature and all vine8 were planted in the sign of the Crab (Cane.er). Plants of the pod variety, ac;; beans and peas, we.re pla:nted in the sign of the Twins (Gemini) to promise a nH.!ltiplicits­ of pods." Rail fences were begun when the sign was UJ> so that they would not ~ettle to the ground. Mnnure ,va~ ~pread on the fields when the sign was down, f'or then it would sink into the earth. Rain would fall when t,vo t signs of the Water-boy (Aquarius) were followed by two signs of the Fishes (Pisces). The early settlers be­ lieved in the old Indian signs, also- For instance, if one could hang his powd~rhorn on the edge of the new moon, he could go hunting, for it would be dry weather for t,vo weeks. The ringing of the ears, or death-bells, was a sure sign of a coming death in the family, as were also the death-tick, or noises of the larvae of insects in the logs of the house-wall, the nightly howling or barking of a

148 dog, the croaking of a raven, or a bird flying into the house. Dreams had great significance. To dream of a death was a sign of a wedding. 'I'he Virginia Folk-Lore Society has been organized for the study and reeording of these old superstitions. Contrary to public impression, these are not confined to the mountain section. All sections of Virginia contribute their quota, many supe,rstitions and songs being common to Tidewater Virginia and the southwest. Annabel Mor­ ris Buchanan, a student of folk-lore, writes: "The following incident was re.lated to me as having actually occurred in Floyd County some years ago: "Two men went to the stables just before mid­ night on Old Christmas eve, and hid in the loft, to hear the animals converse.. On the stroke of twelve, a horse below them turned to his neighbor and in­ quired, "What are your plans for the coming year?" The other answered, "I'll take my master to the graveyard be,fore the month's out." His master above hearing this statement was so startled he fell from the loft, under the horses' feet, dead.'' Old Christmas is January sixth; it is so called be­ cause after the change in the calendar made 1751, the holiday falls upon an earlier date. Animals are sup­ posed to have. the power of speech at midnight of this date. Belief in witc hc:raft was prevalent in Virginia as in the New England colonies. To become a witch, a pe.r­ son had to renounce Christianity, recite a certain jargon with attendant gestures, and sacrifice an animal or in some mysterious way acquire three drops of blood. Witches were said to ride horses to their meeting-places at night, the evidence being witchknots or 'stirrups' tied in the. horses' manes. They could inflict spells, mys­ terious disease, curses, and "hoo-doos" on persons and animals. Diseases which could not be cured or accounted for were attributed to them. Cows which failed in their

149 milk were said to have been milked by witches. The witch-doctor, who ciaim!ed to have powe.r to undo a witch's spell, was a powerful person in the community. Most often they tried to turn ~he spell back upon the witch. One method was for the bewitched person to sleep with the Bible under his pillow. One woman who suffered from poor circulation and felt as if needles and pins were sticking into her was thought: to be bewitched. A friend of the witch was induced to spend the night with her and while she was asleep to cut off a lock of her hair. This was buried under the tormented woman's doorstep, and at th~ same time needles and pins were dropped into a glass of water. The witch awoke scream­ ing with pain ; needles and pins were sticking into her, as they were dropped into the water. The. bewitched woman then recovered. But if the witch could secure some articl~ belonging to her victim, the spell could not be turned back upon her. Any sort of bleeding, as hemorrhage, or bleeding from a wound, was cured by reciting the "blood-verse," meanwhile holding the Bible over the sick person's he.aq, and laying hands upon him. The patient could feel the blood checking as the charm took effect. "It felt like a big worm crawling," said one who had recovered. The secret of this blood-verse could be imparted only from man to woman and vice-versa. A sickly child was said to be liver-grown, meaning that the liver had grown fast to some other organ. The witch-doctor would take the child by the hee.Js and give it a sharp jerk to loosen the liver. A tooth-ache charm was recited by the. witch-doctor to the sufferer. It v1as said to be from the "Seventh Book of Moses" : "Peter stood at the gate weeping. Jesus saith unto him, Peter, why weepest thou? And Peter answered, saying, Lord, my teeth acheth. Jesus saith unto him, Peter, thy teeth shall not ache, so long as thou keepest these words in thy remembrance." The charm

150 acted contrari-wise, for when the patient forgot these words, his teeth stopped aching. This toothache charm is given in Halliwe.Il'.1 Nursery Rhymes and Tales of Eng­ land. It came from the north of England centuries ago:· "Ass Sant Petter Sat at the, Geats of Jerusalem our blessed Lord and Sevour Jesus Crist Passed by an Sead~ What Eleth thee hee Sead Lord My Teeth Ecketh he_ Sead arise and follow Mee and They Teeth shall never Eake Eney Moor, fiat at fiat ...." · Sometimes the witch-doctor's charms had as their basis certain healing herbs, no doubt more potent than the charm itself. One charm for curing babies of thrash was involved with buds of green sage; but a more power­ ful charm was for a person who had never seen his own father to blow three times into the child's mouth, after which nobody must look into into its mouth for a week, when the thrash would be cured. Many signs had to with domestic affairs. On a cold winter morning the housewife might have difficulty with her churning. The witch-doctor would be sent for. She would move the churn near the fire and repe.at some mysterious words, making passes over the churn, after which the- butter would soon come. One would imagine the housewife would next time move the churn near the fire, and try it without the incantations, but that would be to doubt the. witch-doctor and thus perhaps call down some curse upon the housewife's head. A story hitherto unpublished, we believe, came to us from many source3. "This is an old tale" said Jack Al­ tizer. "It has been years ago in the time- of old Aunt Lydia (Lydia Elkins, wife of William Akers) .... Down there along the river-it has all been cleared now­ there had been things seen and heard the,re and the people did know what they were-. They got scared and gathered in there in the bushes and watched. Some­ thing began a fuss like an anvil ringing, and something was hallooing for 'Ben and Joe.' just as plain as any-

151 l)ody could speak. It would come in the river in the day­ time. It moaned like a woman and had a shape like a woman's . . . and the.y were afraid to go to it. Such a thing as that would scare anybody. At night it would ring and halloo for Ben and Joe. It went on that way for several years. The people around there would not go very close to it. They would wait for somebody to make a start and they were all afraid to start. But they would throw rocks at it. Now we don't know what it was. Some say th~t two little children got lost and drowned there. This happened betwee-n Broad Shoals and where Aunt Lydia lived, right at the Rock Hollow Bend. Aunt Lydia iived where Lee Akers lives now.'' Joe Altizer had been told that Dan and Sol Akers, sons of William, were fishing about Rock Hollow when the creature jumped from a tree and ran after them. They fled through briars and thorns, but it overtook them, and there was a terrific struggle. Their father, William is said to have shot the poor thing with a silver bullet, while it was crossing the river. It was never heard of afterward. In many stories of witchcraft, silver bullets are found to· be an e.ff ective weapon against supernatural forces.

152 CHAPTER 20 Emera's Later Years Antong their neighbors, their married children and their grandchildren, Emera "and Mary passed their last -twenty years of married life on Little River. It is unlikely that they kept in close. touch -with - Mary's kin in Berkeley or with the Pitzers. It took two or three wee-ks for a letter to come from Berkeley by stagecoach and horseback. The recipient had to pay the postage upon a Jetter, the amount depending upon the distance it had to travel. From Berkeley it probably amounted to more than fifte-en cents. The pleasure and prestige of receiving a lette.r was thus tempered with sorrow for the frugal Germans and Scotch by the neces­ sary outlay of cash. Lists of dead letters still exist.which are surprisingly long. With money so scarce, people thought twice before accepting a letter and paying the postage. It must have been a source of ·satisfaction, how­ ever, to see a reply start off and to know that the recipient would have to pay in his turn. There were no postage stamps in Emera's day. Letters were written with quill pens and ink homemade from nut-galls and copperas, upon coarse unruled writing paper. Ashes or dry dust served for blotting. The fourth page was left vacant and the sheet was folded so that one edge -might be tucked into anothe,r and sealed with sealing-wax, provided any sealing-wax was at ha·nd. To the end of his days Emera lighted a fire by strik­ ing flint with steel among bits of lint. The fire was care­ fully covered at night. "Borrowing fire" from a neighbor was a common practice. We may imagine little Jonas running from a neighbor's house with a shovelful of live coals, the coon's tail on his cap flying out behind in the br.ee.ze occasioned by his haste. There were no 1™ches, no pins except of home manufacture, and few clocks. Such as there were had

153 wooden works. Emera and his neighbors told time by the sun. Even at the time of Emera Junior's de.ath a clock was a valued -possession. Emera Junior singles it out for special mention in his will, bequeathing "a cer­ tain wooden clock" to his grandson Aron C. Altizer, Emera made hairpins and knitting needles for Mary of wood or horn. His pipe was a piece. of corn-cob with a long hollow reed stuck into it for a stem. He had no false teeth. George Washington had some. (still in exis­ tence) but they fitted abominably and gave him that prim look around the mouth because he was trying to hold them in place. But no false teeth were to be had near­ er than Philadelphia, which ,vhen Washington was inau­ gurated President in 1789 had 4,500 houses. New York City then had 3,340 houses and 23,380 people. Rich­ mond had 310 houses and 2,170 people. There was beginning to be some talk before Emera died of tempe-rance societies and of drinking liquor be­ ing wrong. "Ach !" he would exclaim, disgusted with such notions. Could he not remember, boy though he had been, how in Germany the best of people drank wine? And what was there to drink here but whiskey? "Well then!" Some were buying this ne-w-fangled coffee. Emera himself had learned to laugh at the story of the man who took home a pound to try when first the mer­ chant brought it from Staunton or Philadelphia in his cov­ ered wagon. On his next visit to the store, the man com­ plained that his "old woman biled them split beans for half a day and then they wasn't soft enough to eat." The Methodists and Baptists were gaining ground all up and down the. country, the movements having begun about 1787- They were making inroads upon the con­ gregations of the old-time Dunkards and Lutherans. Opinions vary as to the religious faith of Emera and his family. Emera Jr. ,vas a Dunkard- Some of Emera's grandchildren were Dunkards, others primitive B·a ptists, others Methodists. Perhaps Emera, like many other old-

154 timers far away from a church, adhered to no particular denomination, but was, "on his wife's side," a Presbyter­ ian. We are not sure, either, of his political views. The Republican party of today is said to be the choice of most of the Altizers, though there are many exceptions. But we may be sure that whatever he believed, he was milit­ ant about it and laid down the law upon the merits of either the Federalist party (later Whigs) who believed in a strong central government, or the Republican (later the Democrats as we know them today) who championed States' Rights, believing firmly that the other side was absolutely wrong and pig-headed besides. Emera lived in Ame.rica through the incumbencies of the following Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of Virginia, until the formation of the United States: Prob­ ably Robert Dinwiddie 1752-58; John Blair 1758; Francis Fauquier 1758-68; John Blair 1768; Norborne Berkeley (Lord Botetourt) 1768-70; William Nelson 1770-72; Lord Dunmore 1772-76; during the Revolution; Patrick Henry 1776-79; Thomas Jefferson 1779-81; Thomas Nel­ son 1781; Benjamin Harrison 1781-84; under the Articles of Confederation: Patrick Henry 1784-86; Edmund Ran­ dolph 1786-88; and these Presidents of the United States: George Washington 1789-1797; John Adams 1797-1801; Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809; James Madison 1809-1817; and two years of James Monroe's term. A long, long time. We estimate that he lived to about eighty-three. The German tongue was still spoken among some of the Altizers as late as 1852-5, said the grandmothe.r of one of the writers. The use of the native tongue. was of course fostered by the presence in the community of many other German families. In our grandparents' speech, and no doubt today in the speech _of older people, may be found many surviving German idioms; for ex­ ample "What for a time did you have?" meaning what sort of time, is a lite-ral translation of the Ge.rman "Was

155 fur ein." The preposition in the expression "Shut the door to" is a relic :>f the German construction "Make the door to." "I go to church of Sunday mornings" illu­ trates the German adverbial use of the genitive, as "des morgens." The usual form of introduction was "I make you acquainted with so and so," a literal translation of the -German "introdu:!e," "bekannt machen mit." A list of some of the Montgomery· taxpayers in 1802 shows names which inte-rest us: 1802 Acres Total Value Tax of land Archabald Elkins ______go 11 $· .05 Soloman Akers ______20 18 .09 same ______15 ·5 .02 George Bishop to Emera Altizer ______200 40 .20 Robert Simpkins ______180 60 .29 New gr-ant to: Humphrey Reed _ -· ______227 75 .36 Andrew Reed _ -----· ______640 125 .60 George Reed ______1100 175 .84 Also in 1802, Apr. 5 Solomon Akers pays tax of 72c on 6 horses Emerick Altizer Jr. pays tax of 12c on 1 horse­ John Altizer pays tax of 12c on 1 horse Alias Altizer pays tax of 12c on 1 horse Jacob Epperly pays tax of 24c on 2 horses David Elkins pays tax of 12c on 1 horse Nathan Ratcliff pays tax of 36c on 3 horses Humphrey Re-E}d pays tax of 24c on 2 horses George Reed pays tax of 36c on 3 horses. Part of a tax list of 1805 : Quantity Val. per Total of land acre an1t. Nicolas Alley ______546 42 225 Nicolas Alley ______190 40 75 Archibald Alkins _ -----~--- 80 14 11

156 Blackburn Akers ______20 25 5 Thomas Alley Sr. _ ·------400 19 75 Austen Akers ______100 20 20 Jacob Akers ______.123 16 20 Americk Alltizer Sr. ______200 20 40 Thomas Alley Jr. ______100 20 20 Clayburn Acres ______150 50 75 Lydia Anderson. ______20 50 10 Jonathan Acres ______72 20 14.40 Archibald Elkins ______42 19 50 Jacob Epperly ______250 30 75 Christian Epperly ______216 28 60 George Reed ______290 24 70 George Reed ______1100 16 175 Nathan Ratliff _ ---~------85 20 17 Another list showing .contemporaries and neighbors was found in the old pape.rs found in the court-house at­ tic-an "alphabet" or index, to what, we could not dis­ cover. Alltizer Amery ______15 (page) Akers Solomon ______74 (page) Alley Thomas ______81 (pa-ge.) Akers Jonathan ______118 (page) Carmicael Thomas ______Carmicael John ______110 (page) Elkins John ______35 (page) Epperly Jacob ______87 (page) Ratliff Nathan ______78 (page) Emera is not found paying state. taxes until 1802. Exemption from taxes for certain periods was offered to settlers going to the frontiers. It may be. that he was exempt f orlhis reason. In that year he paid 20c tax on 200 acres, a conveyance. from George Bishop and wife Anne to "Emere Altizer." (Montgomery records showJ this land on Laurel Creek, Little River, purchase price $66.67, date of deed Oct. 5, 1801). The value. was shown on tax record~ as $40. In 1803 the tax was the

157 same, as also in 1804, except that here he is spelled Americk Alltizer. In 1807, he is Americk Alltizer Senior, and J~hn pays tax on 50 acres, valued at 40c per acre,, tax l0c. In 1812, both pay as before, and Emery has bou·ght 40 acres from Solomon Akers, valued at 25c per acre; John has bought from a Simmons 335 acres at 12c per acre. In 1813, the records (in the State Library) begin to give location of properties: Ame.ry Altizer, Sr. now pays 26c tax on his 200 acres "on Little River" ; John's 5Q acres are "on Little River waters," and the 335 acres "on Alleghany Ridge and some branches of Little River." "Amery's" 40 acres are on Little River. William Akers has 119 acres on "head waters of Mill Creek adjoining a Lucas." Adam Akers has 50 acres on Little River ad­ joining Joseph Scaggs. In 1812, instead of Archibald "Alkins" as he. is always spelled in these tax records, we find Absalom, David, and Margaret Alkins each with 166 2/,3 acr~s on Little River. Jacob Epperly i~ on Lit­ tle River adjoining Sam'l Ridinger. He has 250 acre-s. Christian Epperly has 216 on Oldfield Creek adjoining George .Epperly, and 288 a~res cin Meadow Creek. George Epperly has 100 acres on Oldfield Creek. corner to Abner Wells. John Elkins has 150 acres on Camp Creek. Nathan Ratliff has 85 a. on the Pilot l\tiountain, waters of Little River, and his homeplace, 279 acres ad­ joining Thomas Dobins, who has 100 acres on Mill Creek, v,;iters of Little River. William Delaney has 96 a. on the waters of "bever Creek" of Roan Oak. Jacob She­ lor at the waggon ford at Pine Creek, 227 ac1·es. Daniel Shelor Sr. on a branch of Oldfield Creek. James Simp­ kins' homeplace was on Meadow Creek adjoining Fran­ cis Charlton. GeorgP, Sumpter had 175 a. on thew. fork of Little River adjoining Chas. Simmons. The papers found in the . Montgomery cc•urthouse contained also this:

158 Jan. 6, 1794 Montgomery Court Ambrose Alltizer .er. ______£ shill. d. To Mdse. By 4 lbs. Beeswax ------" 6 " By Beeswax _ ------" 6 . "

Ambrose Alltizer er. by note for the balance of your note exclusive of the. money received of J a. Elliotte.

Notes and bonds To Ambrose Alltizer notes£1 15 shil. 81/2 pence

It was interesting to find that Emera was a bee­ kee.per for we had already noticed that his descendants were given to bee-culture. In 1810· Emera and Mary sold land t~ their soii-in­ law, Adam Akers. This is the deed of which we have the original, thought to be in Emera's own writing: This Endentor made in the ye.ar of our· Lord March the first 18010 betwene Emmery Altiseear and Mareay his wife of the County of lVI ungummery and State of V erginneay and Adam Akers of the othear part of the ~ame counteay witeness that the sade Addam Akers hath bought of the sade Emmery Altizer and· Mary his wife a sartean track or parsell of land containing fifty Akers lying on Littell revor a branch of new rivor lying on the north side of the revor gineing Joseph Scags line and Elsok tomson Be­ ginning as wit at ~ white ock and black ock on the· bank of revor by the mouth of a· gulleay and running thens north sixty fore de.greys west fifty fore pols to A white ock on the side of a ridge North eightyfore degreys west forty e.ght pols to A poplar on A ridge· so·uth nine degreys East won hundraud and six pols to tow pins on A ridge South sixtene degreys east fortyeaght p.ols to a red ock South thurty degreays west fifty nine pols to A white ock and hickkory·

159 sapling by the bank of therevour and up the- sevreal corseas of the revour to the, beginning for forty pounds to the sade Emmery Altiseear and Mary his wife we both doth warrant and defend the sade land from all othear rits or onars laing any clame to hit with all its importenances to have and to hold for­ evor rand we the sade, Emmereay Altiseear· and Mary his wife doth bind ourselves our Ars and Asineas in the pennall sum of like munneay as wittenass our hands and seals this first day of -March 18010. Test Blackbun Akers Emmery V. Altiser Elsock thomson Mary M. Altizer William Altizeear At Montgomery March Court 1810 this deed qf Bargain and Sale from Emeray Altizer and Mary his wife to Adam Akers was acknowledged in court by the sade Emery Altizer and ordered to be re­ corded. teste Charles Taylor C. M. C.

Whoever wrote this deed was no speller, you notice. But he did as well as Daniel Boone who carved upon a tree still standing in Tenn·essee : "D. Boone cilled a bar on (this) tree in the year 1760." If Eme.ra was the writer, perhaps his son Jo~n taught him how, for John wrote· ·a very legible hand. On January 13, 1817, two years before Emera's death, he and Mary made their last deed, selling to James Lester "a parce.J of land containing 200 acres situated on the waters of Lorel C·reek and Esthers Creek the waters of Little River lying in the County of Mont­ gomery" for $160. It was witnessed by Elswick Thomp­ son, Steven Lester and Jonas Altizer. Strangely, this deed was not recorded till 1833. Emera must have been in failing health by this time. Seven months before his death he wrote in his will: "I,

160 Eme,ra Altizer being ·weak in body but of a sound mind and memory, blessed be almighty God for the same do make· ... my ... will." His children seem to have loved ~im. They named their own children for him; they told them stories of their grandfather. He has lived in tradi­ tion as a pe~sonality while the immigrant forefathers of many families do not survive even in name. It ·must have. saddened them to see his decline-to · see his square shoulders bow; his hair, once reddish "sandy," grow gray and thin; his sunburned neck grow corded; his Roman nose b~come more beaklike as age shriveled his serious honest face ; and his counten­ ance take on the. far-away look of those who know they have not long to live. To the quick-tempered Jonas who was still single, at home, Mary must have spoken chid­ ingly when he beca~e impatient with the whims of age. "Be good to him, Jonas. He has had a hard life, and now it is almost over. He loves you, my son." J:onas was to have the property at Mary's death. But Emera seems to have. been a little doubtful of this spoiled youngest son. "The . . . property shall truly be the said Jonas' if he will discharge his duty towards his parents, and if he does not all the ... ·property shall be equally divided a_mongst all my children." To the others he no doubt gave much before his death. He did not expect them to resent Jonas' having the farm, for he appoints his two elder sons as his executors. s·ometime in Se!)tember, 1819, he died.

161 The grave o·f Emera- v.·. Altizer is ·marked by the marble .slab. The land in the background was part of, ...JlJs .-Little ..River prop.arty. Beneath the tree is the grave of Ms son Jonas. CHAPTER21 Emera's Burial In his rude coffin, they carried him upon a bier along the ridge and up the steep hill to the burying­ ground on the hillside.. No vehicles were in the pro­ cession. His sons and sons-in-law perhaps served as pall-bearers, four at a time, relieving each other fre­ quently. The doctor and the minister led the. way, then the pall-bearers with the coffin; then the family: Mary; Betsy and Nancy and their children; the daughters-in­ law with their families; then the neighbors two by two, the men first since it was a man's burial, then the women. Here were Blackburn, William, Solomon, Jacob and Jo}!athan Akers·; Thomas Alley, Jr.; John and Thomas Carmichael; Jacob :ind Christian Epperly with their grown sons; Amariah Pharis; Davy and John Elkins; Jeremiah and Thompson Farmer; Nathan Ratliff; the Humphrey Reeds, Jr. and Sr.; Jose,ph Scaggs; Daniel, Jacob and William Shelor, and others, dressed in their homespun best. The ministe.r was probably Jonathan Hall. We visited the old graveyard on a lovely day in late Septembe.r, about the season when Emera died. Hazy blue mountains in a great crescent line the horizon on three sides. On the fourth side; the hill towers still high­ er than the graveyard upon its slope. F~r below, the yellow waters of Little. River shine in the green mead~w. Here they climbed the hill with their burden. Here they lowered it into the waiting earth. Here Mary wept for her husband and the girls for their father; here stood his sons, their sun-browned face.s working with grief. Jonathan Hall stepped forwarj •2d too~ a little earth in his hand. "Dust thou art and unto duat $halt thou return." The neighbors waiting with their spades covered

163 from view this bit of clay fro·m Germany, mingled now forever with the soil of America. It .is very quiet there where he lies-the frightened kidnaped ,}ad, the soldier, cold and hungry, the husband, the· father,,the pioneer. Rest in peace, Emera. In the same row l\fary is buried; Jonas is there with his first wife, Sally R2tcliff. The slatestone marker at the head of Jonas' grave is embedded in the trunk of a great white pine. Emera Junior's "row" is higher up the hill. And· there, are other graves of which we know nothing. Emera's grave has been marked by the government which thus rememb'3rs its soldiers, at the instigation ·of ms· grea.t great granddaughter. And we must be grate­ ful too to Jacob D. Altizer, grandson of Emery Junior, and bis wife, who was Manda Burton, who have. filled the sunken graves with earth and borne in memory the locations. The Montgomery court convened the first Tuesday of October and Emera's will was presented, proven and recorded: I, Emera Altizer, of the county of Montgomery and State of Virginia, being weak in body but of a sound mind and memory, blessed. be almighty God for the same, do make and publish this my last will and testement in manne.r and form following, that is to (say) :first: I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Mary .Altizer my house and land with all my stock of every kind, with all the. household and kitchen furniture to · have and enjoy during her natural life, it is also my wish and desire that she shall not waste nor make way with·more than real necessity re.quires, and after the decease of my beloved wife, the above name.d house and land I bequeath to my youngest son Jonas Altizer,, together with all the stock of every kind, with all· the household and kitchen furniture. The above named property shall truly be the

164 said Jonas, if he will discharge his duty towards his pare.nts, and if he does not all the above named property shall be equally divided amongst all my children, after the decease of me and m.y wife: and I further give and bequeath to my son John Altize,r the sum of one dollar, and I give unto my son Emery the sum of one dollar, and I give to my son Elias Altize.r, the sum of one dollar, a~d I also give to my son William Altizer the sum of one dollar, and I also give to my son David Altizer the sum of one dollar and I also give unto my daughter Betsy Read the. sum of one dollar, and I give unto my daughter Nancy Akers the sum of one dollar, I shall also order and direct that my son Jonas Altizer shall pay unto the above described legate.es the sum before mentioned within twelve months after the decease of me and my wife. I also appoint my two sons, John Altizer and Emera to my executors. This 24th day of February 1819 Emera V. Altizer (seal) John Howerton Dothy O'Thompson George Godby At Montgomery Co. October Court 1819 This last will and testame.nt of Emera Altizer deceased was presented in court and proven by the oath of John Howerton and George Godby witness thereto and ordered to be recorded. Teste ... Charles Taylor, C. M. C.

165 CHAPTER 22 Mary's Last Years Mary was sixty when Emera died. Jonas had mar­ ried about a month before his father's death, and for thirty-one years he and his wife lived with Mary at the home-place. We hope she enjoyed the house, land, stock, kit­ ~ehen and household furniture as the. will provided. Perhaps during the stay of the Scotch Millers in Ire­ \and some of Mary's 1ancestors .ma-rried · am,IOng the Irish, who handed down to her their propensity for joy­ ous living. (If fondness for the hue of the Eine.rald Isle is any proof, many of Jonas' descendants can furnish it. Among certain households the Altizer love. of green is a family joke) . It seems a little unfair of Emera after guiding Mary's e.xpenditures for forty-six years to lay upon her in his win· the injunction not to spend more than real necessit~ required; but when we consider how laborious­ ly he had accumulated his estate we can forgive him for not wanting it squandered. Still, we hope she construed "necessity" liberally vnd bought some of the brightly­ printed new cloth called calico which came on the market about 1829; some of the new store stockings woven on power looms; a few papers of pins; and that on Sunday she laid aside the cap. she had donned soon after marriage, as custom demanded, and put on one of the new Leghorn hats, turned up behind and trimmed with artificial flowera and ribbon. Perhaps though, the Mormon bonnet which came into vogue about 1830 was more in keeping with her age. She must have heard about the. first trip made in 1828 by a locomotive in Pennsylvania, and how they were lighting the streets in the cities by gas a~ early as 1817. Seven years be.fore she died came that wonderful thing called the telegraph (1844). She saw Floyd County

166 formed in 1831; the use of envelopes begin in 1839 and postage stamps in 1847. Bryant, Cooper, Irving, Long­ fellow and Poe we.re writing· in her day. She saw the leg of mutton sleeve, the short high dress-waist, and the skirts shame.fully short-hardly reaching the ankle ! But until the Civil War, cook-stoves were unknown, and in 1860 flintlock guns were still used and the log house the prevalent type. Two years before she died, F~b. 10, 1849, she made a deed of gift: I, Mary Altizer of the County of Floyd for the natural love and affection I bear my great grand­ children Elias· Akers and Perdine Akers children of Jackson Akers for the conside.ration of one dol­ lar paid by Elias and Perdine Akers give to them one sorrell mare, one red heifer, one brown heifer, and five sheep. Mary Altizer Signed in the presence of ·John Lester, Jr. George Akers Andrew Reed. Elias and Pe.rdine were the grandchildren of Nancy and Adam Akers. Peradine was now eight years old, Elias probably two years older. When she was 81, Mary began to draw a pension. The first pension laws provided for the relief of only dis­ abled soldiers and officers. Then in 1818 a new law provided for those who were in destitute circumstances. Four other laws were later enacted, all providing only for the. destitute. But in 1836, an act was approved which provided for all widows of Revolutionary soldiers, · provided the marriage took place before the e.xpiration of the last period of his service. Later acts provided for widows of those married after the expiration of service. The Veterans Administration says : ''The record of

167 only one soldier (Revolutionary) has been found with the ·surname Altizer. It is that of Emery.... He was not a- U. S.: pensioner." Mary's pension application was executed -Oct. 5, 1840, "at which time she was aged ·about 81 years and resided in Montgomery County, Vir­ ginia, ·where she had lived for about 50 years." . Her pension claim was W-4770. On certificate No. 3472 issued Nov. 25, 1840, she was allowed a pension at the rate of sixty dollars per annum which commenced March 4, 1831, by act of June 4, 1836, Virginia Agency, th~~ act being retroactive. So Mary received a pension for nine years _back-$540.00. When we remember that only twenty-th~ee ye2rs before, she and Emera had sold 200 acres of land for $160, this is se.en to have been in that day no small sum. What ~o you suppose she did. with it? An old lady of 81 in those days could spend money on little. besides food and clothing. Perhaps she 'fixed up the place,' as Emera would have wished. The General Accounting Office, Washington, wrote. : "Mary Altizer die.d on August 25, 1850. She was 91 years old. On October 15, 1850, Jonas Altiz­ er, administrator, certified that M:ary Altizer had, at the time of her death, be.en a resident of Mont­ gomery County, Virginia, for the space of about forty-three years past, and . pre:vious thereto she resided in Rockbridge County, Virginia. "The 1arrears of pension due the deceased, covering the period from March 4, 1850 to August 25, 1850, were paid at Richmond, October 31, 1850, to Colin Bass as attorney for Jonas Altizel9, adminis­ trator. "On October 15, 1850, R. D. Montague, Clerk of the Court of Montgomery County, certified that .satisfactory evidence had been produced that Mary Altizer left the foil owing children surviving her: John Altizer, Emery Altizer, Elizabeth Reed, Nancy Akers and Jonas Altizer."

168 Jonas of course was mistaken in the length of time she had lived in Montgomery, for recorded deells prove them to have been there earlier. From Montgomery records comes: Mary Altizer's settlement. Dr. The Estate of Mary Altizer In account with Jonas Altizer her Administrator 1851 Principal 1851 Principal Apl. 11 to disburse... By receipts this ments this year _ 4.50 year ______27.00 For coffin ______3.00 Apl. 16 By bal- Attorney's fee _ __ . 75 lance due the ad- Fee to commissioner ministrator to for comital and re- date ______41.25 lease of the, ad- ministrator _ __ 5.00 68.25

13.25 To amount due me for A. and as her voucher No. 4 __ 55.00

68.25 Commissioners office Christiansburg April 14th 1851 To the county court of Montgomery County your commissioner reports to the court, that at the April te.rm of said court, an order was made direct­ ing the undersigned comisioner to state and settle the administration account of Mary Altizer and at the request of Jonas Alltizer her administrator the undersigned commissioner appointed the. 16th day of April 1851 at his office at the courthouse of said coun­ ty for receiving proof of debts or demands, against the said deceast, or her estate, and posted a notice of the time and pl&.ce to the creditors of sad estate and all others concerned, at the front door of the.

169 . courthouse of said county that the several creditors of the said estate embraced in the voucher respec­ tively marked and charged in the debit through Jonas Alltizer her administrator appeared proved to the satisfaction of your commisoner their several debts or demands against the said decedent or her estate as set forth in the said account. Your com- . missioner finds that the amount of debts or demands against the said estate to be $68.25 and the amount of receipts to be $27-00 leaving an excess due to the administrator of $41.25 to this date. Given under my ha~d as commisioner of the said court the. day and year as aforesaid. James C. Taylor Commisioner ;Do not misjudge Jonas because of the small cost of Mary's coffin. In reality, he did very well by her, for coffins usually cost about two dollars. The appraisal of Jonas' estate at his death eleven years later also belongs here, for most of these things had been the property of Emera and Mary: 1861 Jonas Altizer Deceased Appraisement Appraise Bill of the persQnal estate of Jonas Al­ tizer Deed. Se.ptember 11, 1861 1 Scythe & Cradle _ .75 2 Augers ______-05 1 Tare (Tar) Bucket -20 1 Dark Colard Cow 12.00 1 Shovel _ __-______.62 1 Whiteface Cow _ 13.00 1 Muly Cow _____ 12.00 1-2 Grindstone _____ l.00 1 line back ______13.00 1 Set of· Brichbands _l.50 1 Black Bull _ ____ 9.00 1 par Gears & Bridle 2.00 1 Yearling Heifer_ 6.00 2 Tubs ______.40 1 Yoak of Oxen _ 60.00 1 Bedstead ______.25 4 Calves ______7-00 1 Harrow ______4.00 5 Hogs 'at 3.50 _ 17.50 1 Big ·Plow ______4.50 5 Hogs at 2.00 ___ 10.00 · 1- Big Plow ______3.00 1 Sow and 2 Shoats 7 .50 1 Log Chain ______2.00 1 Sow and 5 Pigs __ 5.00

170. 1 Dubble Tree & 1 Shoat and 3 pigs 3.00 Clevis ______.25 1 Sow and pigs in 1 plow point _ ____ .60 the woods _ _ __ 4.00 1 Anvil and Bellows 1-00 1- Lot of Flax _ __ 1.00 1 Churn Bucket and 1 Mattock ______.10 Pail ______.50 1 Hackel ______1.00 1 Cutting Box _ _ __ l.50 1 Rifle Gun ____ _ 16.00 3 Wheat by the Bush- 1 a:ay Fork ____ _ .75 el 75 ______2.25 9¾ Rye by the 1 Lot of Sheaf Oates 1.00 Bushel 50c ____ 4.62½ 1 Pot ______l.00 2 Oats Stacks _ __ 8.00 2 Skillets ______.50 1 Gray Mare ____ 120.00 1 Bedstead and Cord .60 15 Sheep at 1-50 1 Chest ______l.00 per hd. ______22.50 1 Cubboard ______l.50 36 Corn by the, bu. 1 l\rlan Saddle _____ l.00 35c ______12.60 1 Lot of Wool 15 lbs 8 Buckwheat by at 40c ______6.00 the bu. 35c ____ 2.80 The above is a true list of all property as given us in charge John Lucas Daniel Shelor Jonathan C. Hall At ~'.lontgome.ry November Court 1861 this appraise­ ment of the estate of Jonas Altizer deceased was re­ turned to court and ordered to be recorded. Teste J. M. Wade C. Jonas Altizer dee. Sale Bill A Sail Bill of the personal estate. of Jonas Al­ tizer Deed. September 12th, 1861. Wn1. R. Altizer 1 Scythe and Cradle_ .41 W n1. R. Altizer 1 Tar Bucket ______.10 Jonathan c. Hall 1 Shovel ..... ______.70 Wm. R. Altizer 1 Grindstone ______.50 R. R. Altizer 1 Pair of gears _ _ __ _ 1.00 Lowas Duncan 1 pair of BrichBands 2.06 171 Wm. R. Altizer 1 pickling· Tub. Lard tub ______.40 C. H. Willas 1 Bead~ead ______.62 Jessa Altizer 1 Hay Fork ______.75 David Alley 1 Harrow ______4-00 Crockett Reed 1 Big plow ______4.25 J eptha Altizer 1 Big plow ______2.05 Wm. R. Altizer 1 Log chain ______2.10 Lanes· Doncan 1 Doubletree clevis _ .16 Lanes Doncan 1 Plow point ______.65 Wm. R- Altizer 1 set of smith tools _ _ .50 H. C. Meredith 1 churn 2 Buck's (buckets) ______.45 Elias E. Altizer 1 Coton Box a nep? _ 1.05 C. H. Willas 4 doz. Oats 10c ____ _ .40 C. H. Willas 4 doz. Ooats 10c _ __ .40 Sary Altizer 1 !pot ______.50 Sary Altier 2 ~killets ______-25 Sary Alti;zer 1 Sted an cord _ _ __ _ .13 Sary Altizer 1 ::Chest _ ------·.25 Sary Altizer 1 Cupboard ______11.00 Sary Altizer 15 lbs., Wool @25c lb. 3.75 2 Augres Jepha ,Altizer 1 Man Saddle _ ____ .60 E. E. Altizer 1 Black Cow ______12.00 Sary Altizer 1 white Cow ______10.00 John R. Altizer 1 muly Cow ______15.15 • Wm. Smith 1 lStear ______15.35 George E. Lester 1 Black Bull ______9-40 Mary Altizer 1 Heiler ______5.50- W. G. Curren 1 Yoke of Oxen ____ _ 54.25 .Sary Altizer 1 Lot of Flax ______.50 Wm. R. Altizer 1 Mattock ______.30 John Shelburne 5 Hogs 1 Lot ______20-25 A. J. Reed 1 Sow & 5 Pigs ____ _ 6.25 M. V. Smith 5 next JChoice _ _ __ _ 10-05 Edon .Parmer 4 next Choice _ _ __ _ 6.15

172 Wm. G. Criner 3 Pigs______1.50 Sary Altizer 1 Sow & pigs in woods 3.00 John R. Altize.r 4 Calves ______10.80 Sary Altizer 1 pacher? ______.25 John R. Altizer 1 Rifle Gun ______16.00 Wm. R. Altizer 1 Gray Mare ______123.25 Sary Altizer 1 Oat Stack ______, 2.00 Sary Altizer 1 Oat Stack ______2.00 H. C. Meridith 9 ¾ of Rye at 58c pe.r B. 5.36 Charles Howard 10 sheep 1 chag _ ____ 18.25 Sary Altizer 5 sheep 2 chag _ ____ 2.50 Wm. Flinchman 15 B. of Corn at 64c _ _ 9.60 Wm. Flinchman 21 B. of corn at 70c _ __ 14. 70 Wm. Altizer 8 ½ B. of Buckwheat @ 50c ______4.76

,407.75 At Montgomery Dec. Court 1861 this sale bill of the. personal estate of Jonas Altizer deceased was returned to court and ordered to be. recorded. Teste J. M. Wade C. With this sale of the.ir belongings, we conclude the story of Emera and Mary. If they had known with wha4: consuming interest their great great grandchildren would read the records of their lives, perhaps the.y would have taken care to leave more "footprints on the sands of time."

173 CHAPTER 23 The Sons of Emera John, the eldest son of Eme.ra lived eighty-five years. He died in December following Mary's death in August, a11d is buried in the family burying-ground at the. "'Uncle Neil Altizer place" near Broad Shoals, the homeplace of John himself. This is about four miles from his father's home. Elizabeth Elkins, his wife, is also buried there. He was fourteen years older than she. She lived eighty years, surviving him nine. We know little of- her except that she spoke German and was a sweet singer of German songs, as was her mother, Margaret. We be­ lieve that they were marrie·d. in Montgomery, since we found no references to the Elkins family in Rockbridge or Be.rkeley, and Elizabeth's father was in Montgomery at the time of the Revolution. They were married be­ fore 1806, for in that year the.y sold 105 acres of land to David Bishop for $200. . In 1818, John made an interesting agreement about a reputed silver mine on his property: Article of agreement made and entered into this 3rd day of Sept. 1818 between John Altizer of the County of Montgon1ery and State of Virginia and William Pep.pers and John Chapman of the county and state afore said of. the other part : Witnesseth that whe.reas it has been represent­ ed that there is a lead or silver mine on a tract or parcel of land on the waters of little. River contain­ ing 500 acres and patented in the name of Archi­ bald Elkins and by him devised to his sons Absolum, and David and his three. daughters Mary, Elizabeth and Lydia and the said John Altizer having purchas­ ed the ·part devised to .A.bsolum and having intermar­ ried with Elizabeth also a devisee of said Archibald it is therefore covenanted and agreed between the said John Altizer ~nd the said William Peppe.rs and

174 John Chapman that for and in consideration of the sum of $10 which the said Pepper and Chap'.man both this day advanced to the said Altizer for the purposes of defraying his expenses to Powells Val­ ley to procure a certain Joseph Boothe who it is said knows where said mine is, to come and show the same and further the said Peppe.rs and Chapman is to pay the said Altizer for his trouble in going to Powell's Valley. The said Altizer promises and agrees on his part to go after the said Boothe and also if any Lead or silver or ore mines can be found by the said Boothe or any other person on that part of the aforesaid tract of land to which he has title either in purchase or in right of his wife that he will convey to the said Pepper and Chapman a fee simple right and priviledge to them and their heirs to dig, raise and take ore and from any part of said land· and also the right and privelidge of taking and using any wood and water necessary for the carrying on and establishment for +he purpose of smelting and refin­ ing any ore or metal which maye be found on said land, but it is understood that the said Altizer is to have 1-3 part of the proce.eds of any mines minerals or metals which may be made out of any ore found on his lands after all the expenses are paid or in other words one third of the real proffits. And it is further understood that said Altize.r reserves exclusively to himself and heirs the right and privele.dge of farming and cultivating the said land and taking proceeds to his own use and only such part as may be necessary for the purpose aforesaid. It is further understood that the said Peppers and Chapman binds themselves to advance whatever sum of money the. said Boothe may charge for showing said mines if the same does not exceed the sum of $100, and provided the said Boothe shows

175 a good ~nd substantial bed of ore. It is also agreed if either of the said contracting parties at any time desires to sell his interest in the said land he shall . offer to sell the same to one or both the others and if they will not give him as much as another person will give then he shall be at liberty to sell to such person. We the above contracting parties bind ourselves our heirs jointly a:P-d severally each to the other for the true performance of our several covenants above written in the penalty of ten thousand dollars. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our names and affixed our seals this day and year above ,vrit­ ten. Witness John Altizer (Seal) David Elkins ,vm. Peppers (Seal) William Akers J. Chapman (Se.al) Recorded Sept. 17, 1829 William Akers agreed to same as above by virtue of intermarrying with Lydia Elkins and havlng bought the share of William Grimes who married Mary. Another dream of fortune doomed to frustration, for if they found the mine, little or no ore. ,vas ever taken from it. But even today rumors circulate about it. A man named Tom Meredith is said to be. the only person who knows its location, but it is reputed to be under the bed of Little River near Broad Shoals. On June 4, 1832, John and Elizabeth bought land on "Lorel Creek, waters of Little Rive.r" for $40 from people named Gardner. As to disposition, we heard from Le.ander Altizer that John was "quiet." John bequeathed his property to Cornelius who in return was to take rare of his mothe.r. Leander also remembers Emery Junior and Jonas. Emery Junior he described as a "quiet old man," of !rledium build, weighing about 150 pounds. He had

176 blue eyes, and when Leander kne.w him, his hair was gray. One grandson, Jacob D. Altizer, said that his grandfather was "small and lean." Another grandson, Danie.I S. Lucas, who remembers his death, says that he was a clean-shaven man. The first document we have concerning him was made when he was about seventy-seven: Bill of Sale 1846 Emery Altizer Altizer to Altizer This indenture made and entered into this 18th day of March, 1846, between Emery Altizeir of the one part, and Edmundson Altizer, Eme.ry Altizer, Mary Altizer, Joseph Altizer, Martha Altizer, Spar­ rel Altizer and 8imon Altizer of the second part, all of the County of Montgomery and State of Virginia, witnesseth that for and in consideration of the na­ tural love and affection which he the. said Emery Altizer has and bears toward his grandchildren the said Edmundson Altizer, Emery Altizer, Mary Al­ tizer, J ose.ph Altizer, Martha Altizer, Sparrel Al­ tizer and Simon Altizer, hath given, granted, con­ veyed and by these presents doth give., grant and convey unto the said Edmundson Altizer, Emery Altizer, Mary Altizer, Joseph Altizer, Martha Al­ tizer, Sparrel Altizer and Simon Altizer the follow­ ing personal property, to wit: one cow and calf, 4 steers, 2 gray mares, 1 twohorse waggon and gear­ ing for the same, 1 Bureau 3 beds and 11 head of sheep, together with their future increase of said stock. Also to the said Edmundson Altizer and Emery Altizer a rifle gun each with all and singular the advantages and appurtenances whatsoever, to the said property and the future incr~~ase thereof be­ longing or appertaining to the only prope.r use and benefit of them the said parties of the second part and their heirs and assigns f ore.ver.

177 And the said Emery Altzier for himself and his heirs unto the party of the second part and their heirs and assigns, free from all claim or claims of him, the said Emery Altizer and his heirs of all and every person or persons whatsoever shall will and do warrant and foreve.r def end by these pres­ ents. But it is to be distinctly understood that the said party of the second part are not to trade or convey away said property or any part the.reof un­ til they arrive at the age of twenty-one years, with­ out a written consent from the said Emery Altize.r. In witness whereof the said Emery Altizer hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal the day and year aforesaid. Emery Altizer (Seal) No loophole the.re, we should say, for anybody to get the property away from these children. When Emery Junior was 89 (1858), he a.nd Jonas, then aged 66, sold to Aron Altizer "a certain tract or parcel of land lying in Montgomery County adjoining Jackson Akers, Anderson Alley, Jonas Altizer, Emory Altizer and Elias R. Altizer, containing 175 acres more or less." In 1859 Aron. who was Emery Junior's son, and Sarah his wife, sold it to Wilson Lucas, who later will­ ed it to his wife. It was known as the Hogan tract.

Emery Junior's Will I, Emery Altizer of Montgomery and State of Virginia Considering the. uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound mind and memory blessed be almighty God f~r the same do make and publish this my last will and testement in manner and form following, that is to say, first I give and bequeath unto my son Jeptha G. Altize-r all of my household and kitchen furniture. I further give and devise to my said son J eptha G. ...t\.ltizer his heirs and asigns

178 all that message or tene.ment situated lying and be­ ing in the county of Montgomery State of Virginia together with all my other free.hold estate whatso­ ever to hold to him the said J eptha G. Altizer his heirs and asigns f ore.ver and the said J eptha Altizer is to take good care of myself and wife during our natural life and to pay burial expenses, and I here­ by give and bequeath to my grandson Jeptha E. Al­ tizer a certain rifle g_un when is 21 years of age. and it is my will and desire for my grandson Aron C. Al­ tizer to have a certain wooden clock and what per­ sonal property that I myself have. at my death ex­ cept household. 1 will ii to my other ten children - if living, if not to there heirs; children's names: Andrew R .. Altizer, Anna Reed and Dicy Reid, Elias R. Altizer, Milly Dulaney, Delilah Akers, Rachel Alley, Aron Altizer, Elizab~th Akers, Emery G. Altizer, the property equally divided amongst the ten in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this the, 17th day of Jan. in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty eight. Emery Altizer.

This will was made when he was about 98 years old. It was probated March 1872, proven by oaths of H. C. Meredith and Russell R. Altizer. Emery Junior lived 102 years. He belonged to the Church of the Brethren. In his old days he grew very childish. His grandson, Jacob D., tells of him that he kept his cane lying beside him, and when Jacob came. too near his chair, or met him unexpectedly in the hall, En1ery J uhior would lift his cane and strike at .Jacob. If the child did not get out of the way soon enough, Emery Junior would, as Jacob said, "pop" him with it. Jacob seemed to bear · his grandfather no ill will, and laughed as he told us the story, so no doubt the "popping" was not very severe,

179 and the childish behavior may be excused in a man a hundred years old. His last wife lived 105 years. She was dark of complexion, not a large woman, stoop-shouldered in her old age. A number of people now living re.member her. She was always called "Granny Peggy." "I can see her yet in her old rocking-chair in the, corner" wrote Daniel Lucas. The names of Griffith and Griffin have been much confused. Until too late to prepare a Griffith sketch, we believed Peggy's maiden name to have been Griffin, and made a study of that family. It is said that the Griffiths are of Welsh descent and that all are related. They lived in the region of Patrick and Franklin Coun­ ties., The record of Peggy's first marriage proves that her name was Griffith, which will surprise many. Elias Altizer was in Montgomery in 1802 when he paid tax on one horse, and in 1803 when he. witnessed the will of the elder George Reed. We were told that he went to Kentucky. Our ge.nealogist wrote us of Altizers living in Indiana and Wisconsin. We secured the names from th~ census re.cords for 1840, 1850, 1860 and 1870. The first shows Elias Altizer in Posey County, Indiana in that year. This county is in the southwest corner of Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky. There at least two of his children were born-John and Elias. If Thurzy shown in the chart was his wife, as we believe, she was no doubt his sec­ ond wife, for she was only twelve years older than John (Elias' son), too young it would seem for his mother, even in those days of early marriages. Then too, she is shown... in 1850 living with Elias rather than John. No doubt Elias was her own son, born when she was twenty- f our. Elias Senior was between seve.nteen and twent,-. seven years older than Thurzy. He must have died at between seventy and ~.ighty years of age, before ·.the 1850 census. William Altizer, the next son of Emera, was also

180 said by some to have. gone to Kentucky; one informant, who is probably correct, since he knew as no others did that Elias went to Indiana, told us that William .went with his family to Missouri. He or Elias or both may have gone with Davin as far as Taze.well. William wit~ nessed a deed of Emera's in 1810 in Montgomery.. No­ body knows whom he married, and indeed few now liv­ ing ever :arheard of William. We find nothing about him after the above date. In 1851 Jonas did not men­ tion David, William or Elias in the list of children sur-:­ viving Mary. We know that David was still living, but evidently Jonas did not. Elias and William had evident­ ly died or moved far away before this date. Of Emera's· fifth son, David Riley, we know -little except what we may deduce from facts about his chil~ dren and grandchildren. Rufus Altizer told us -that D.avid started to Kentucky with another Altizer whom Rufus thought to be David's brother. The journey.. must have be.en made in covered wagons. When they had gone as far as Tazewell County, one of David's children became sick and detained -him. The brothe-r went on to Kentucky, but David settled in Tazewell From this it appears that David was ·married in Montgomery, but we could not learn the surname ·of his wife, s·usan. David's son William is known to have been born in Montgomery. William was married in 1839. If William was twenty at marriage (an average age), David must have gone to Kentucky shortly ·afte.r 1819. The earliest marriage date found among David's children was that of Mary, 1829, then Annie., 1836, then William. It is probable that these girls were· older than William and were born in Montgomery.· Riley, we know, was born in Tazewell in 1827, so David· was there before that date. David is reme.mbered very dimly by his grandson, Thomas Altizer, of Sonora, Texas, now past eighty. From this we judge that David died about 1860. , ·He

181 must have been at le.a.st seventy, and was probably older. Thomas called him ·'Granther" (grandfather). Willie Belle Altizer Cauthorn, daughter of Thomas, furnished us much valuable material for our chart, and we found considerable in Summers' Annals of Tazewell County and Pendleton's History of Tazewell County. Emera's youngest son, Jonas, was about twenty­ seven when he married Sally Ratcliffe in 1819. She was described to us as a gracious, kind woman. It will be recalled that she was lame and in her old age was called "Hoppin' Granny" by certain tots. Russell Altizer told his son Leander that Jonas was a "stoutbuilt man," about six feet tall, weighing about 180 pounds; that he had blue eyes and brown hair. So many of his

182 from Nathan Ratcliff. and 95 acres which he patented. From the. book o~ Montgomery surveys, p. 249: Surveyed for Jonas Altizer 145 a. of land by virtue of an entry made the. 8th of October 1835 upon a land office treasury warrant No. 12372, 1st day of July 1885 lying in Montgomery County on the east side of Little River and bounded as follows, etc. James R. Kent. The lines of this survey was marked out in 1812 for Nathan Ratcliffe by J. R. Kent. On page 325 ~ 95 acres surveyed to Jonas Al­ tizer, bounded, etc. Elsewhere we have given the appraisal and sale. of Jonas' personal property at his death in 1861. He lived sixty-eight or -nine years. In October, 1861, Sarah Simpkins' dower was laid off: We the undersigned commisioners appointed by court and sworn for that purpose have laid off the Dower of Sarah Altizer, widow of Jonas Altizer deed. in the land of Jonas Altizer at the Mansion House and we do hereby describe it as follo,vs beginning at a white oak which is a corner to a survey of Wm. R. Altizer's and run­ neth thence. s. 26 E48 poles to a chestnut on a· hill by a fence S ll-E29¼ poles to a Spanish· oak on a point 42 W. 28 poles to a white oak on a hill near the corner of a fence. N.56W29 poles to a pine on a ridge N.89W.50 poles to a white oak by a fence near a branch thence running with said f e.nce down the Branch to the River and down the River as it meand­ ers to a double '\\T hite pine a corner to Jonathan Elswick, thence running with the several courses of said land on the north side of the plantation to the beginning.

183 Given under our hands this 14th day of Oct. 1861. John Sneass J. C. Hall Daniel Shelor Russell R. Altizer, Jonas' son, was appointed the guardian of Wilson Altizer, orphan of Jonas Altize~ deed, Russell's half-1,rother. Sally Simpkins' Will: I, Sarah Altizer of the County of Montgomery and State of Virginia being of sound mind and dis­ posing memory and considering the uncertainty of this frail and transitory life do make, ordain, publish and declare the following to be my last will and testament, that is to say first, after my doctor's bill and fune.ral expenses are paid (which embraces all of my indebtedness) I give and bequeath all of my property as follows: 1st to my son Wilson W. Altiz­ er, for his care and affection toward me I give and bequeath- one milk cow and one calf, one horse-, two feathe-r beds, with their straw ticks, bedsteads and bedding, two pots, one skillet, one loom and its ap­ purtenances, 1 spinning wheel, all of my table­ ware, embracing plates, knives, forks, spoons ec. 6 chairs, 2 cream jars, 1 churn, 1 cup-board or press, 1 lard stand, 100 lbs. bacon to be his sole sepa­ rate property. 2nd to Marth2 E. Altizer, the wife of my son Wilson W. Altizer, I give and bequeath the following property to wit: 1 cow, 6 head of sheep, 5 head of hogs, 1 five bushel tub, 1 spinning wheel, 1 kitchen table, 1 stew pan, all grain of all kinds raised on the premises and belonging to me, 1 fire shovel, 1 chest, 3 tin buckets, 15 lb. wool, 1 bread tray, 3 sacks, 1 flour barre.I, 1 and 1-2 bu. of onions, all of my chickens, 1 meal sifter, 1 grain sieve, the same to be her sole and separate property free

184 from debts and liabilities of her husband. And I hereby revoke and annul all former wills if any made by me. In testimony whereof I have here­ unto signed my name and affixed my seal, this the 29th day of Jan. 1887. Sarah Altizer Signed and ~aled in the presence of L.A. Buckingham, W.R. Altizer. The will was probated Feb. 1887. W. W. Altizer (Wilson) was appointed administrator.

185 CHAPTER 24 Grandchildren of Emera Slowly conditions in our country changen from those in which Emera lived to those our grandparents knew in their youth. Manv of the changes Mary saw belong­ ed to this time, for she died only thirteen years before the Civil War. Farmhouses had improved. Reaping was now done with cradles instead of sickles. Some. barns had stationary machines for threshing. But the sew­ ing-machine, breech-loading guns, revolvers, lucifer matches, gum over-shoes-none of these- had been in­ vented in 1830. The amusements, vocations, supersti­ tions, religions, and to a great extent, the dress remain­ ed the same as in Emera's last years. Paragraph heads of a history show the succession of events: Growth of railroads 1830-50; coming of for­ eigners mainly to the North and West;disadvantages of slavery; Abolitionists demand national action 1834; the South from 1830-60 the last citadel of Anglo-Saxon in­ dividualism; States Rj ghts; Vistoria's reign began 1837; new political parties!' Whigs mainly in the, north, Demo­ crats mainly in the ~outh; annexation of Texas 1845 ; Mexican War 1847; discovery of gold in California 1848; the Gold Rush and the "Forty-niners"; postage stamps 1847; education in 1850 much what it had been fifty years before ; Woman's Rights movement begun 1830 ; Mormons. We see that slavery was a question of dispute early in the century. Yet thP. census of 1850 shows that less than a third of all the white families in the South held slaves. The North and the South in 1850 were alreadv., bitter against each other because of different interests and lack of. understanding due to lack of communication. The stage was set for the tragedy of 1861-5. A history of the Civil War is not within the scope of this book. The events may be found in hundreds of

186 books. We would, however, strip from those histories the veil of sentimentality and show this war, not as a patriotic struggle for liberty on the one side, nor in­ spired by humanitarian motives on the other, but as a useless, wicked sacrifice of human life by two sections embittered by ignorance of each other, this hatred fomented by fanatic agitators in the North and by prop­ erty.. holde,rs fearful of losing their property, in the South. Lincoln picked for the emancipation of slav·es the time when they could help the cause of the North by turning against their masters. Mark Twain calls the war "a pitiful piece of history." It was a sordid thing, fought mainly by those who had no vital issues at stake, who fought because they had to, and who died for no good cause. That the heart of most of the soldiers was not in this struggle is shown by the constant reiteration in his­ tory of the word "deserters." The word has an ugly sound; but not so ugly as the words "warlord," and "conscript," the latter connoting much the same. as the slang "shanghai." In the mountain sections were no large slave-hold­ ers. The farms we.re small, the Germans who so largely settled the region had big families who did their own work. Mark Twain rather condemns them for be,ing "pusillanimously ready to side with the slave-lords in all political moves for the upholding and perpetuating of slavery." He forgets that they had no choice. Yet, he says, though their resentment "was not brought to the surface, the fact that it was there and could have been brought out, under favoring circumstances was something; in fact, it was enough, for it showed that a man is at bottom a man, after all." May the time come when those who declare wars shall be. the ones who fight them. In the next chapter are the records of the relatives who were soldiers. Here we. shall-tell what we can of a personal nature a bout their generation.

187 Sons of John Altizer: Elias E. was killed by a saw­ mill. The accident occurred in the winter, sometime during the Civil War. E!ias played the fife.. Elias' son, Jesse R. Altizer, we give here because. he was a Confederate soldie.r. He was a teamster during the war; one day a cannon ball came along and cut off the head of one of the team of horses he. was holding at the time. The ball broke Jesse's arm. le- remained crooked the rest of his life. He received a pension of $50 yearly. He was, like most of the Altizers, of medium build, "heavy­ set," had blue eyes and the Altizer nose. These surveys of land were probably for this Elias: Page 234 Montgomery Book of Surveys: " Sur­ veyed for Elias Altizer 7 4 acres by virtue of an en­ try made 20th Feb. 1835 upon land office tr·easury warrant No. 12307" etc. P. 316: "26 acres on warrant 14378." P. 345: "73 acres on warrant No. 14988." In Floyd records: May 26, 1871, Cynthia Altizer. wife of Elias, Jesse R. and Polly Altizer s,Jd for $500 fifty acres of land to James Thompson. Eula Altizer Reed gives a story of Cynthia, Elia~' wife: She went into the woods one day to gather -pine wood which they burned in the fire-place to give light in the evening. She filled her a pron with pine cones for kindling and gathered her arms full of pine sttc -{£ and knots. Returning home, she met a panther. Un­ like Red Riding Hood's wolf, he stopped for no chat of 'Where are you going this fine day?' and made no men­ tion of her taking this road and his taking that. He came for her. She dropped her pine cones, but held on to the wood. She threw a chunk at his head and felled him, but he sprang up and came again. She threw another heavy piece, hit him, and this time he stayed down, for he was dead. She went home in some haste, but did not forget her wood and pine cones. Elisha Altizer, brother of Elias, was discharged from

188 the Confederate army ·because he had typhoid fever. We heard that he too suffered fr.om· white swelling. He was the drumm~r in the musteis called. He had saved some money which he kept:"'hidden in the house. In the. chaotic times of th,e war, thieves came with masks on and entered the hotlse while he was there. His wife Louiza recognized the.m as neighbors. Elisha slipped the money from its hiding _pla~e to try to save it, out the thieves saw him and snatched it from his hand. Louiza was afraid ever to telf -who .. the thieves were. Louiza's 1people came ~om 1S~e-J}andoah County to Frankli~ thence to Montgomery. Her father, Le.vi Holliday, died shortly before she was born, ·being found dead in his house one morning, lying _near .the fireplace, partially burned. Relatives of Louiza's mother, a Miss Cloud before marriage, now live in Carroll County, Va. Cornelius Alt~~-:er was described by Jack as tall and fat, weighing two ·hundred pounds. He had the Altizer _nose,··blue eyes, and sandy hair, but he became bald :before he died. He was called to the war, but did not have to fight-in any battle. When his company arrived at camp, it was ~ight and very cold. A preacher named Amos Dickerson got up out of his bed and gave it to Neil so that he could get warm. Of Jesse, youngest son of John, we have this de­ scription written by a grandson who lived at his grand­ father's when a small boy: "Jesse Altizer ,-x.ras reputed to be a powerful_ man in his prime. He was about si:?C feet one. or two, stood perfectly erect and was all muscle and bone, with no fat. In fact, he. was inclined to be lea.n, and was. very agile and active. I have heard him_ tell many times how he won a bet of _five dollars· from a bunch of men about carrying an iron· be.am weighing 750 pounds. He picked­ it up, carried it a certain distance and turned around and returned it to the pl3.ce it came from. He was the. only man around there who was ever able to do that.

189 Jesse W. Altizer, born 1826, died May 26, 1914. "About the only place he ever went was to Floyd Courthouse on courtday. I have heard him tell about being there on one occasion when he was in his prime. They were all having a big time, with a supply of brandy and whiskey. He had a couple of fights in town that day and cleaned up his men in good order, bqt whe,n he got on his horse that night and left for home, five of the best bullies they could muster together had gone ~n ahead to hide and wait for him at Scott's Mill. When he came along, all five jumped on him, but he mopped up good and proper with the five of them, got oil his horse and went on his way. Somebody was ·with him and could substantiate this. It may have been Jack, but I am not sure. "Grandpa liked his dram, but I ne:ver saw him drunk. He would take one drink before breakfast and be in a good humor all day. He would make a dai~y trip around the. farm in the summer and always wanted me to go with him. He had a butting ram at one time, and while he was walking along, that sheep slipped up behind him and gave him the. whole works, right in the rear, and knocked him flat. It is a wonder it didn't ·kill him, for he was old then. "He would never let anyone pull his boots but me. I have had to get up out of bed many a night after I had gone to sleep and· pull his boots. It had to be. done a certain way. "Grandpa was a fifer in the fife and drum corp·s in the Civil War. He had his fife, the same. one he used in the war, when I left home. He would get it out about once a month and practice. I wonder what ever became of that ·fife." Jesse also played the dulcimer, the zither, and. the violin. From another source, we learned that two of the participants in the fight referred to above were brothers. Jesse got one. of th~ brothers down and was preparing to maul him, when the other threw a rock at Jesse; which 191 instead hit the brothE!r who was down. It almost killed him. Jesse took both of them home with him, nursed them, and kept them ove.r night. Eliza Akers Altizer, his wife, once recalled that in her day, oddly enough, people were turned out of the church for riding faster than a trot. In his old age Je~se was called by Jim Duncan and other children "Crooked-nose." He had 'dark sandy' hair. We heard that "the Yankees captured Jesse. and paroled him. He then worked for the. government m'ak­ ing swords." Turning now to Emery Junior's children, we. give in part a letter dated 1929 from Amanda Altizer Churchill of Lincoln, Kansas, sent us by Willie Belle Ca uthorn : · "My grandfather (Andrew R. Altizer) and his im­ mediate family left Virginia the summer before the Civil War and went to Illinois. Grandfather's brothe.rs stayed iii Virginia. Father'c:; name was Joseph. He had four brothers in the Civil War, Ed, Emery, Simon, and Spoil (Sparrel). They all c~me home but one. I can remem­ ber so well; and when Lincoln ran for President he spoke in our home town, Pittsfield, Ill. "My father went to Kingfisher, Oklahoma when that country was open for settlement. He and mother are buried seven miles west of Kingfisher. Father was 84 years old and m{\ther 82. My only· brother is liv­ ing somewhere in Oklahoma. His name is Joe. Uncle Spoil died there. He had nine boys. They live in and around Kingfisher, Okla. "Mr. Churchill belonged to Co. B. 12th Infantry (Union Army). He died in 1916. He carried the mail fifteen years before he died. I live alone. I have lived here 32 years.... My grandfather always said that the Altizers were all re.lated." Mrs. Sada Appelgate of Joplin, Mo., daughter of Andrew's daughter l\:Jartha, wrote that Andre.w lived at Blue Ridge, Va.,· until Martha was almost grown. They

192 started on the journey west by boat, presumably down the. New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. When they reach­ ed Ironton, Ohio, they landed and continued in a cover­ ed wagon to Illinois. Simon and Sparrel, sons of Andrew, ran off and joined the Union army when Simon was fourteen and Sparrel sixteen. Simon was never in battle, but Sparrel engaged in several. He used to tell his children, and nieces and nephews about these. Edmundson died dur­ ing the war. (These men of course were great-grandsons of Emera). Simon is said to have been a handsome man, of ntedium height, '!nd the only ons of Andrew's chil­ dren with dark eyes. He was Clerk of Logan County for sixteen years. He ran for Congress, but, said Mrs. Ap­ pelgate, "was beaten by the negroes' vote." He was president of the Guyan Valley Bank at Logan, had large holdings in coa~ mines and many other interests. Julia Altizer Alderson, his daughter, was much beloved, noted for her charity, and was a trustee in Alderson college. All of Martha Altizer Appelgate's family are fair; none have the Altize~ nose, but have rather long straight noses. They are. goQd-sized people, and are considered good-looking. Martha's husband used to tell his chil­ dren with emphasis that their mother was exceptionally good-looking when a girl. She. was fair with blue eyes. Her brother William (son of Andrew of Emery Jr.) was said to be the handsomest man in Webb City, Mo., where he lived. All of Martha's children are Democrats. Returning to our topic, we give part of a letter from Henry Edson Altizer about his father, Aaron, grandson of Emera, "The son of Emery Altizer Jr. and Peggy Reed Altiz­ er. Aaron married on May 27, 1847, at 21 years of age Sarah Scaggs aged 19. (See chart for dates.) Of this union there were 12 children. Aaron lived first in Montgomery County, near Christiansburg. About the year 1858 they

193 journeyed to what is now Man, W. Va. by covered wagon through the mountains. Aaron bought from James P. Christian a tract of land containing about 300 acres, for the sum of $1200, mone.y which he realized from the sale of his property in Virginia. The house he moved into had been built by the former land owner. It was a typical two-story log house., built to be heated with wood, with a chimney about the same size as the house itself." Elsewhere Henry wrote. that it was about six feet in length and the base twelve feet, of dressed stone built on the outside of the house. "This house was a land mark and stood in the. town of Man until improvements were built around it, and it was removed to make way for more modern buildings. "Immediately after settling he began improving the place until it was made one of the best farms in that vicinity. He built a water mill to grind the corn and grain into meal and flour for himself and other settlers. He also added to the mill an arrangement for sawing timbers. This saw was operated by water power, but it worked on the principle of a rip-saw, sawing only on the down stroke, not a circular saw as used on present­ day mills. There still can be found in Logan County lumber sawed by thi~ mill. He was postmaster at Man for twenty-six years. He also served several terms as magistrate. He was a merchant for a short time during .bisJ~te years. He. was active in politics all his life. He and all of his descendants were staunch supporters of the Democratic party. "Sarah Scaggs Altizer died at the age of 48, June 7, 1876. Aaron was marrie.d a second time on May 22, 1879 to Mary Aliff. She had no children. Mary died December 18, 1903. Aaron lived twenty years after her, dying at ninety-seven." Aaron brought an old weight clock with him to Logan County; Henry said, but not the one with wooden works willed him by his father. But Henry has heard

194 him speak of the clock his father owned, and also a :flintlock gun. Aaron's son Joseph owned a "rifle-gun," presumably a flint-lock, for which a bar of lead only ran seven bullets. Joseph killed bears with · it at two hundred yards. Aaron saw the fifth generation of his descendants. We heard from another source that he was high sheriff and treasurer of Logan County. He wore a long beard that reached to his waist, and had the Altizer nose. His brother, Je.ptha Griffin Altizer, also wore a long beard. He had raven-black hair, and was a large man. He went west on horseback (to Missouri, one in­ formant said) to visit some relatives. On the way, he had to cross a large river, no doubt the Mississippi. The recounting after these long years · of such details by people not even direct descendants of his shows how re­ turned travelers must have impressed the stay-at-homes with their stories of wonders se.en. The horse J eptha had was a magnificent animal which everyone stopped to admire.. Horse-stealing was a common offense in those days. When J eptha stopped to eat supper at a tave,rn in Charleston, West Virginia, he hired a boy to take care of this wonder-horse. He also left the door ope.n while he ate so that he too could keep an eye on it. But after all these precautions, he looked up to see a man riding away on it. He got up and went after it . . . and brought it back. The great trouble with tradition is that it leaves out so many drama­ tic details. But we do know that he laid his big revolver on one side of his plate and his bowie knife on the other and remarked to all withil\earshot: "That's what any­ body will get who touches that horse again." J eptha sounds like a great old boy. Of the children of David Altizer, son of Emera Senior, ,ve can tell little. David Riley enlisted in the. Confederate army and se.rved until the close of the war. In 1866, he moved to Morgan County, Ky., where he

195 lived one year. Then he moved to Magoffin County, Kentucky, on White Oak Creek near Licking River. He went to Texas -in 1881 or 1882. He died near Cherokee, Texas in 1901, aged 7 4. . E~racts from Annals of Tazewell County are per­ tinent here: At the June term of court, 1835, it was ordered that a reward of $4.00 be paid for killing a wolf over six months old, and $2.00 for one less than six months; $1.00 for an old red fox and 50c for a young fox. In 1867, $10 was paid for an old wolf· scalp, $5 for a young one, nothing for foxes and wild cats. In 1864, the county petitioned the state government not to take the slaves to work on fortifications around Richmond: " ... From the extreme scarcity of laborers much distress and suffering have befallen these people. There is scarcely a family in the county not possessing slaves which last year produced a suffi­ cient support, and the very few who did ... are found to be slave holders. The wives and little children of many a p.oor soldier are now wholly dependent for every morsel of bread ... upon neighbors whose slaves produced it. The mischief too is increased by the mismanagement or inattention of govern­ ment which suffers brigades, . regiments, battalions and companies to traverse the country without prop­ er quartermaster 3nd commissaries and ... strip hundreds of families without regard to law or justice of the little stores hoarded for their support." From court records : " ... Many families from last winter till the maturity of vegetables ( about a month -ago) subsist­ ed on bran obtained with the, utmost difficulty. The County appropriated $20,000 -for the support · of families of indigent soldiers, but only a few bushels of corn could be procured. The. present crop of wheat proves a total failure and must be consumed

196 ·before corn is gathered. The. County has tried to purchase corn even in Georgia but no transporta­ tion could be obtained and all means of obtaining supplies have been entirely exhausted. The court ... requests that the tax on wheat be ap,pr~priated to the support of the families of indigent soldiers." A Dr. Wood of Bluefield who has been working twenty years on a history of Floyd County sent us the following: "In the Confederate Army in the Civil· War, the following Altizers are of record: Jesse Altizer, J~ w. Altizer, W. Altizer and Ennis Altizer, members of Stuart's Horse Artillery in Pelham's Batte.ry, of whom none were more gallant than those serving with Stuart's Veterans." The children of Jonas Altizer_, ·Stuart said, had no middle name, so they all took Ratcliffe, their- mother's maiden name. The old house of Russell Altizer, son of Jonas,._ is still standing,• a picturesque landmark, not far from the old AJtizer cemetery. In it lives Tom Altizer, son of Russell and Annie Connor Altizer. Russell built it a few years before he was married and taught school in it. One of his pupils was Clarissa Duncan who married Lewis Scaggs. Their son Harvey later married Russell's daughter Henrietta. Russell had dark hair, blue eyes, sandy whiskt~rs, and a ruddy comple.xion. He was a jolly man and was a friend to everybody. Many homeless boys made· his home theirs. He _died comparatively young, and his ~ife. .lived a widow for fifty years. She died at 91. .She said \hat her son Le.antler was much like his father. Her grandfather Conner, her father, Daniel, and her brothel". Josiah were Primitive Baptist ministers. A sister of Annie, Louvina Frances is now 86. She had· also a bro­ ther Reed. Annie's son William Re.ed was named for this brother and for Russell's brother, William R. John Altizer, Russell's brother was lame. He. was a great

197 hunter. In appearance, he was low and heavy-set, with sandy whiskers, dark hair, and vecy red complexion. Nancy Epperly Altizer, wife of William R., kept some of William's and her own letters written during the war. It seems almost a sacrilege to print these letters of the husband and wife. Their deep feeling animates the stereotyped phrases in which letters of their day were couched. But they are gone now. Their grief is over for they are again together. We cannot hurt them if we give their letters as a remonstrance against war : Upon stationery bearing a colored picture of the. Confederate flag and the words "Confederate States of America" with this verse below: Gathe.r around your country's flag, Men of the South, the hour has come­ N one may falter, none may lag- March to the sound of the fi.f e and drum.

Smith Co. Va. Saltville May the 24, 1861 My de~r wife, I sit down today to write you a few lines to let you know how I am doing. I am well as common and I hope when these fe.w lines come to hand they will find you all well and doing well. I received your kind letter Friday and was glad to hear from you all but sorry to hear you · were so weakly, but I hope you will get better. They paid me the bonus. I thought I would not take. it, but they said if they offered it and I did not take it I was as much bound as if I took it. They paid me $73.85 and I will send you $60.00 home in this letter. I don't know when I will get home for AneaS' said he would try to get me a furlough as soon as he could. Maybe I will get home sometime before long. Amariah Walters sends his beCJt respects to you. You wrote that Elias Akers wrote home that I had started home, but it is a mistake. I had not started. You wrote about my

198 giving up getting a furlough, but I did not give it up. They would not let me have it but put others in my place. Samuel Lucas wanted me to tell you to tell Elmira to write back whether she got forty dollars or not.. · He did not know whether he could send it or not till he wrote his letter. So I must bring my few lines to a close by saying Your true husband till death From Wm. R. Altizer to Nancy Altizer.

Montgomery County, February the 26th, 1863. Dear husband, I sit down to write a few lines to let you know how we are coming on. I was taken sick the day after you left and have been getting weaker ever since. I am not bedfast but not able to do anything nor scarcely to walk to the kitchen. The rest are as well as common. J. Hall and A. Alley have written a petition and are getting all the signers they can and are going to start it to Rich­ mond next Monday to the Se.cretary of War, but I have but little hope of its doing any good. If you don't get to come back, I want you to write if you want anything sent to you, blanket or clothes or what you need; and what we must do about the, Flinchum place and everything else nigh as you can. I think Henry Otey will work all he can for us. He and John are going to haul all the. hay home tomorrow if it is a good day. Henry has been a good boy and does things like a n1an. He and Ellen hauled a load of hay Tuesday. He wants you to know that his uncle. John mended his shoes for him yesterday. (Note: Henry was their eldest son, then jugt past eleven. Ellen we believe to have been Nancy's niece, Ellen Hatcher). February the 28. I am a little be.tt~r than when I began this letter, but not much. I have '3uffered a great deal of uneasiness about your going right to the smallpox and their ex-

199 pecting a battle there too. I hear John Altizer and H. Otey hauled three loads of hay yesterday but didn't get one shock hauled. I tried to get--to he.Ip Henry take that flax seed off but he would not do it and as soon as I am able I intend to take. it off myself. ·We had another pretty large snow the Saturday night after you left and will have some more tonight I e.xpect. I have dreamed twice that I saw you come home and you loo~ed like you always did, and said you were discharged. We will have to try to be resigned to the Lord's will. The neighbours seem to be. sorry you are g·one and some think you will get to come back and some think it doubtful. - I must come to a close for this time. I will write you a long letter next time. If you don't get to come home, you must do the best you can. Yours till death, Nancy Altizer

April the 24th-- (Parts of these letters are unde.cipherable, due to age, and many are torn.) My dear husband, I once more take up my pen to let you know how we are coming on. The children and Elen are well and I am ... as I nearly always am not well. I am very weak, not able to do anything at all, but still feel thankful that I can go about and that I am no worse. I hope these. lines may come safely to hand and find you well. Jesse Epperly came to see us last Saturday. He looked the best I have seen him for a long time. He says he is weak though. He is discharged once more from the army. He talked like writing you a letter be­ fore long. We got your letter while he ,vas here..... I hope something will ... in our favor so you will get off yet. I don't knew how the. soldiers can stand it much

200 longer as their wages are not raised a cent ; and the members of congress get pay the year round for the laws they make; everything getting higher all the time. The next cotton that comes it is said will be fifteen dollars or more a bale and cotton cloth two or two and a half dol­ lars a yard, and the taxes will nearly ruin the people, I fear. I want you to write whether Bill Scaggs gave you a letter, for I sent one to you by him and Elias Akers. I sent it to Jackson Akers and they promised to take it to you, but you didn't write that you got it. . . . has taken your coal without saying a word to me, and burnt a p.it to sell. He told Anna that he. wouldn't pay for the cutting either. He is trying himself sinc·e. you left. - We have feed for the cows e.nough to do them and about enough for the horses one week more.. I have been trying to get corn for them, but I don't know where I can ; but it will be five. dollars a bushel. Jesse Altiz·er wants to let us have wheat for the salt. You write how much you are willing to take for it or if you are willing to take wheat at all. We, have just drawn 35 pounds of state salt, and will draw ... county salt shortly. I tell you I have places enough for the money I wrote to you about. If I had a friend I could. . .. Have. heard that they ... n to sell tow for the volunteers ... at Grayson's but. can't find out whether it is so without going. John Lucas'es wife is drawing provision again and Elmira and ... laid off to go togethe.r and try before long. You wanted me to write how ~e were getting along with things. We have got the rye. mowed and the oats and flax sowed, and Otey says he wants to plant the old pasture field next wee.k. It is ready all but harrow­ ing and. . .. He has plowed about half the other field. Wheat looks green and pretty, especially the new ground. It is beautiful. Jesse. says he doesn't think I need to b~ uneasy about starving if there is a season . · . . jowl of

201 meat, 2 bushels-of corn meal and 60 lbs. of flour. I told H. Otey to tell Anda what you wrote about _him talking to Staples and he said Staples wanted you in the army too bad to try to get you off.... I thought I would not write till you wrote, but I had a good chance to write a little. You must write again soon. No more at present, but I remain your ever affec­ tionate wife. Nancy Altizer

1863 My dear Husband, I can inform you that we are all as well as common ~nd that I rece,ived your letter with the ring which I will send to Ellen before long. I hope these lines will find you well. Mother started here last Sunday a week and came to Manges'es but. went back because the river was too· full to cross. I am looking for· her all the time. Mol Lucas is going to her father's shortly and is very anxious for me to get Annie (?) to come and live here and I am going to get her a while for I think I can get her on pretty fair terms and she is good to do the house­ work and a good washer, they say, and can spin on a big wheel. Russell came home the Saturday after you left and can stay till the 20th of the month. I made a harvesting today. I asked several but no one came but H. Otey and Jack Lucas. Anda and Russ came Monday. They have cut and shocked the new ground and if they d~n't finish the other piece they will come very near it. Three· cradles are going now. They say the wheat is very good and turns off dozens pretty well. I hope you will get to come home time enough to cut the rye for Otey has never struck a furrow toward laying by the corn. He has not worked any here since you left and is promising almost everybody to work for them, people say. But the.re has been so much rain there

202 . was no time to mow nor work corn. We had the hardest storm the Saturday after you left, that is, the hardest thunder, that was ever known here. Old -Mr. Bucking~ ham said the day after, that as old as he. was,. he never saw the like before. I expect Amos Akers' child is dead, for it was thought to be dying this morning. ·Lewis VI eaver and Williamson's son were killed in Maryland. Excuse this hurried letter. I want to get supper for the harvest men. I nope to see. . . .

Smith Co. Va. Saltville. July the 21, 1863 Dear wife, I take my pen in hand this evening t-, write you a few lines to let you know how I am getting along. -I am well as common and I hope when these few li~es come to hand they will find you well and doing well. I will say to you that I received your kind lett_er and was glad to hear from you all ~nd that you were all well and that you were getting along with the harvest so well. I could not get a furlough to come home, but I hope you will get it. I received a few lines from H. Otey and he wrote that the wheat was cut and some of rye-. I can say to you that there has been right sm~rt exciteme.nt. The Yankees came through this ~oµntry and went to Wythev!lle and burnt up part of th,e town. There was said to be 1300 of them. They had ou~ for~~­ scattered about here. W e_got to see only 20 of them and fetched them here to the guard house, and the balance, I suppose have gone back. I don't know what we will do. I am on guard now, and will have to stand till tomorrow morning. _ I want to se.e you and the children very bad, but I • don't know when I will get home again. But· I hope I will get home again. Write to me often and· write. all the ne.ws and write if the cavalry is after the boys or not. From William Alltizer to Nancy Alltizer~

203 ... since I wrote to you before, but it is the guards at Dublin not ths Cavalry that was on the search of runaways. William Shelor went to get his furlough pro­ longed and the cavalry took him, but let him have a day or two to fix up in. They took all his papers away from him but told him he must go to Dublin; perhaps he would get a discharge. Old Bill Smith was around collecting taxes. I paid yours. It was five dollars and forty cts. You wrote you wanted to come home. I have look­ ed for you night and day. And last Sunday morning l was half asleep and the other half I suppose. I imagined, but I thought I heard you coming. I knew your walk. You came from the kitchen and came to the bedside right where I was. I turned over to say 'Is it possible you have come home?' but you were not there, and I wondered ·how I could be so much mistaken Jesse P. can talk almost as plain as Rufus, but Rufus has not for­ got his pa yet, nor any of the children ·unless it is J ~ P. There is some sickness about here. among children. If you don't come home and want socks or a uniform coat or pants or anything, you must write and I will send them if I have a chance. I hear almost every week that the 63rd regiment is gone from Saltville, but still hope it won't be taken far. I must come to a close for this time. Write again when you hear from that detail. Your ever affectionate wife, Nancy Altizer to Wm. R. Altizer.

Dublin Depot, September 16, 1863 Dear wife, I take my pen in hand this evening to write you a few lines to let you know how I am doing. I am as well as common and I hop·e these few lines will find you all well and doing well. My dear, I have not had a let­ ter from you since before I left the- Salt Works, but I

204 heard from you. Daniel Akers' wife was here Sunday and she said you had another fine boy, and that you were peart. My dear, I want to see you very bad. Captain Francis was here today and tried to get us out, but they would not let us out to go home, but are going to ·send us to another company. Captain said we would start tomorrow and we have. to go down by Richmond, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Our regiment .is in Charleston, Tennessee, twelve hundred miles the way we have to go around. The Yankees are coming on very fast now. They are fixing for·a fight at the Glade Springs now. The people all think the Yankees will have possession shortly. There was fifteen Yankees taken prisoner and stayed in guardhouse­ all night with us and the.y said they would all be through here shortly. My dear wife and mother and little chil­ dren, do the best you can, for I don't know when I will get home. Dear mother, I want you to stay with Nancy all the time. My dear, I am writing this letter with · a broken heart and eyes full of tears, but my de:ar, don't trouble nor grieve about me any more than you can help, for I allow to try to take care of myself. Farewell, my dear family. From Will~am R. Alltizer to Nancy Alltizer. Note: the mother to whom he speaks was Nancy's mo­ ther, Nancy Pharis Epperly. His own mothe.r was dead .

. . . provisions getting scarce here, and in all the regiments they say the.re is a heap running off, and I would not be surprised if more run off. You said that Flinchum's hogs and cow were on the meadows. I don't know what to do about it. I don't think we can do without them. Tell Flinchum that l want him to keep his things off the crops ( ? ) and mea­ dows, if he pleases. Tell him that I say I did not think he would treat me that way. Tell him that I want him

205 to take care of things the better because I am away from home. Try to do the best you can with it. Tell Henry Otey to take good care of my horses and try to make all the grain he can. Tell Rufus that pa will come home some of these times, and tell the children, to be good children till I come home. Tell Margaret that I have got a silve.r ring to fetch her when I come home. Tell Andy that I saw William Cosanberry. He is in the regiment and he came from home last Monday. He said his family was well, but · that Stanley's were not very well. Lastey ( ? ) is in a hurry. I must bring my letter to a close by subscribing. Your husband till death, From Wm. R. Ailtizer to Nancy Altizer

October the 22, 1863 Camp. near Chattanooga, Tenn. Dear wife, I take my pen in hand once more to answer your kind and long looked for letter, which I received yes­ terday evening, dated the 12th of this inst. It gave me great satisfaction to hear that they were all well, but sorry to hear that you were so poorly, but I hope you get better soon. My dear wife, these lines leave me in com­ mon health. I have been poorly for about two weeks. I had something like the flux. but it is nearly well. I have no news much to. write. They have bee.n· fixing for a big fight J1ere, but it seems that they can't get . . . rightly. They have been cannonading some today but it amounts to nothing. I don't know what they will do. There is talk like we will all go up in East Te,nnessee or Virginia. I do hope they will, but I am afraid the.y wo~'t. It looks like they c_an't stand it long here. There is so many of the men not able for service, and there are hard times here for something to eat. It begins to look like the thing was nearly understood with them, and

206 they say the Yankees have Knoxville and Bristol, and that they will get the salt works. · There is about thirty in the guard house now for running off, and expecting more this evening. · My dear and beloved wife, don't you trouble about me more than you ~an help, for God· is merciful and I think He will provide for me. I. bought a Bible T~sta­ ment. I gave one dollar for it and I hope it will be worth thousands to me.. My dear wife, I am trying to serve the Lord as I can. I have read it about lialf through in about ten or twelve days and I feel it is a great plea­ sure to me. I want you to join me in prayer, and do the best we can, and if we never meet again on this earth we may meet in Heaven where there is no niore parting. My dear wife, I pray for you and my little children both day and night. My dear old mother, I want you to pray, for the Lord is merciful. I hope if I live I will get a furlough. I am in line this winter. You said that you wrote me _a long letter while I was at Dublin, and I did not say anything about getting it. I got it the morning that I left Dublin and was glad to get it. I started you one that morning, and you did not say anything about getting it, but I guess you did ....

. . . 13, 1868 My dear husband, I received your !etter dated Nov. the 1st the same day I wrote to you v1hich I hope you have got by this time. These lines leave us well except colds which some of the children have. I hope this will com~ safely to hand and find you in better health than when you wrote . . to me. I am very sorry indeed to hear that you have so lit- tle to eat, and have to be exposed to the weather so, but I still hope to hear that you have got back to Virginia. We have plenty he.re yet. We have cabbage, hanovers, parsnips, potatoes plentier than we have formerly .had, but I never eat a meal but I think of you and long for

207 you to share some of it with us. The guards have taken Amos Akers, George Elliott, Jacob Cooper and there were 80 at B. Meredith's yesterday. That's bound, they say, to takES the _last man. I look for bad times here shortly. Otey has finished seeding. He sowed 9 bushels of rye in the other field and nearly six bushels of wheat on ·the old pasture field. I had forgot how. much when I wrote to you before till I asked Otey. He has joined the home guards and has been gone four or five days, but has returned. · We have not gathered any corn only what we feed with. Otey and Henry shuck and we divide it along as we shuck. He says he is going to gather it as soon as he can and make a shucking and be done. with it. We have got the black sow. up and are going to kill her for she was getting mischievous, and kee.p the young one. We have killed one of the hogs today and are going to kill six more in a week or two. The black sow is a match for the black one we killed last fall. I reckon you have heard that,--killed himself ac­ cidP.ntally as he started to take deserters. I don't think there were many tears shed about it in this neighbour­ hood. And the weddings-I must tell you about them. Jesse and Polly Altizer are married and Randolph Thompson and Kitty Lester are married and Bill Flin­ chum and Nancy Akers are almost married, not quite. Today is the 14th. Otey came here this morning. He and all the home guard are ordered to take· desert­ ers and he says they are going . . . all he has got I fear ... yet to what we will see. The people are much ex­ cited now. Our hou~e- was searched last Sunday morn- . ing, but it did not trouble me. Oh! how I want to see you once more. Try to get a sick furlough if you are not well. That is what I think the most about, if you should be sick so that you needed waiting on and I could not be with you. I think of you every hour in the

208 day. At night I dream about you, but it must be so, I reckon, and we have to bear it the best we can. I set down the baby's name, William Harvey. He is a sweet boy and as pretty as any of our children. Some say he looks more like you than any of them. Rufus and Jesse are as fat as little pigs, and Margaret, I just be­ lieve, is the smartest little girl about here. Daniel cut his toe very bad, but it is well now. I have got that leather from Dicker~on and am getting Russ to make them all shoes. I have not had any of the grain threshed yet, only the seed grain. It is very hard to get a day's work done ... heard today that Capt. Francis was at home and I am going to send you if he will take them two pairs of socks and a pair of pants. I have not had time to knit gloves since I got your letter, but I intend to as soon as I can have a chance to send them to you, and a shirt too. I will send this letter by mail, not knowing when Francis will go back. Mr; and Mrs. -- want their children to go back to the army,-- particularly, as they durst not feed anyone that hides. -- and -­ have had word sent to them if they harbor any one they will be taken to the penitentiary. Susan has woven a little piece of. jeans. and I sold 7 yards and got two bales of cotton and twelve dollars for it. and we. are fixing now to weave us some dresses. We have got the flax out to weather and have got a little more than half of th.e rolls spun. · I must close my tedious letter. Excuse all .amiss. I rPmain Yours till death. Farewell. Nancy Altizer to William R. Altizer.

With these letters was one other from William's nephew to Anderson Alley, William's brother-in-law:

209 Feb. 29,1864 Dalton, Ga. Dear Uncle, It is with the greatest of pleasure that I take my pen in hand to let you know how I am getting along, and I hope these· few lines may reach you in due time and find you well. I have but very little that would be of importance to write. Times are very. hard here. We have but very little to eat. · Most of the time we have only bread and but very little of that. As for clothing we have plenty with the _exc~ption of shoes and blankets. We also have a great deal of guard duty to do. The Yankees have been near thi~ place and on the 24th and 25th we had a fight near Tunnel Hill. Our regiment was not en­ gaged in the fight on the 24th, but on the 25th we were in the fight all day and stood three charges from the ene­ mies and succeeded :n driving them back each time,, and that night they fell back near Dingold (?) and we have returned to our quarters with the loss of one man wound­ ed in our company; but lost a great many out of the bri­ gad·e. I am not able to say how many. · I don't think there will be any more fighting here for some time. I will try to giv~ ·you a description of Uncle W. R. Alltizer's sickness and death. In the. first place, he was taken with the chronic diarrhea, one of the most dang­ erous diseases that we. have ever had in 9ur army. Dur­ ing this time we were at the front near Chattanooga. He was taken very bad with this disease and did not get well of it while we stayed there. and about the time we left there, or retreated from that place, he was very poorly and had begun to swell about his feet and legs, and he· was sent to Atlanta to the hosp.ital and that was the last time that we heard from him until I saw his death published in the papers. I can't tell you anything else about him. · He was troubled a great deal about his family

210 and home concerns. You must give my respects to the family and excuse bad writing and spelling. · No more at present, but remain your friend, Ballard P. Alley to Mr. Anderson Alley

William was burie.d at Atlanta in the Confederate cemetery. In her old age, Nancy said that when she told her children their father was de.ad, Daniel, seven years old, bowed his head and silently walked away to hide him­ self in the cornfield for a long time.. William, the little namesake whom his father probably never saw, died at six years and six months of age from a tumor on his face. For two more years, the war went on. The priva­ tions suffered by Nancy and her family, with all others, are past the imaginings of us who have not endured them. But want and the loss of he-r baby were not all the widow must face. At the sale of Jonas' land· by which his children's possession of what he had given them was Ie.galized, all the parts but William's went for a nom"inal sum. When his land was put up for- sale, someone bid against Nancy and ran the price up to a sum she could not pay. She lost her home and farm. By some. means-no doubt the grinding toil of her­ self and her children-she acquired a second place. William had gone a man's security for a debt. At that time, a de.bt was out of date after twenty years. · "The man never paid the debt. The twenty years had nearly passed," wrote Rufus Altizer, William's son. "The credi­ tor came to mother for the pay. Mother did not know the law, and they induced her to make a small payme.nt which renewed the notes, and then brought suit and col­ Ie.cted principal and interest for twenty years." Her place had to be sold to meet the notes. '~A third place was a piece of vacant land which father took up. I reme.mber seeing the deed made to William R. Altizer." CMontgome.ry Plat Book No. 1

211 shows on -p. -451 · "Surveyed for William R. Altizer 86 acres by virtue of entry made May 24, 1858, Warrant No. 24966 issue.d to John Charlton, bordering on Jonas Altizer's land"). "A near relative came to mother and told her "that he had half interest in the farm, and caus­ ed mother to give him half, 43 acres. There were six parts in the other half. Three parts were sold and three more were held by infant heirs. The land was sold in­ cluding the parts held by infant heirs, and a suit· was brought to test the right of the heirs. The court decided that parties who· had held peaceable possession for a ce.rtain number of years should have the property." Nancy lost the entire place. Nancy's mother lived with her and took an active part in rearing the children, trouncing the.m well when needful. To the end of her life at eighty-four, Nancy refe.r.red to her husband as "my companion," though their companionship lasted so short a time. She once quoted a neighbor who said of her in her youth "Nancy was a pretty girl." She was a woman of intelligence, fond of reading and travel, and given to pithy epigram­ matic sayings. Her granddaughter of feministic leanings was greatly impressed by one:"All my life some man has kept me from doing the things I wanted to do, first, my father, then my husband, and then my sons." But she, had a sense of humor and was not bitte.r. Most fitting is the epitaph on her tombstone, "She rests from her labors." A. daguerreotype of William in Confederate uni­ form shows a. man of good physique with wide, square. shoulders and the typical Altizer f ~ce, to be described herein later. We are told that he wore a beard, which was red, but in this picture he is smooth-shaven. His chin is· dimpled and he had the. nose- His hair is longer than is the custom today. His face is sad, his lips press­ ed firmly together, his cheeks gaunt, his deepset eyes wistful. Nancy reared her children to be worthy citizens. 212 Margaret married and becan1e the mother of nine. chil­ dren-no mean achievement in itself. Henry was Repre­ sentative to the West Virginia Legislature in 1889 repre­ senting Calhoun County. Daniel was for almost twenty years mayor and justice of the peace of Cambria, Va. Rufus was a teacher. principal of Mountain Normal School, Hyltonii Va. For the last twenty-seven years he has bee.n a merchant at Cambria. Jesse is head of a Chicago firm for the installation of elevators, a thirty­ second degree Mason. All the sons belonged to the Masonic Order. Again we wander from the subject of Emera's grand­ sons this time to speak of the travels in West Virginia and Kentucky of Nancy's sons. In reading a letter from Rufus Altizer,. one is struck by the changes that have taken place in about fifty years: "Brothe.r Henry traveled through parts of West Virginia and Kentucky. While in Kentucky, he heard of a man named Altizer. He looked him up and found it was Riley Altizer, who told him that they had left Davy (Emera's son) in Tazewell. Henry at that time owned a photograph outfit and came through Tazewell on his way home. He made photos of all of theµi and had them in an album which he brought home. I learned the names of all in the album. Thomas V. Altizer came home with him and r.taye.d a month or two. Tom liked to hear all of us sing. "Brother Daniel and a neighbor boy named Chas. Anderson took a trip down into Kentucky and came back up the Levisa River and across the mountains to Taze­ well and visited the kinfolks there. Alex Altizer· and a Mr. Reed came. frorr1 Tazewell and visited us. These events took place in the 70's. "In 1885 brother Jesse and I walked across the mountains from Wytheville. through Burk's Garden to Tazewell. While there we taught a singing school at the Altizer school house. After visiting the relatives

213 there, we tauyht si~ging schools in Baptist Valley, Thompson Valley, Knob~ Midway, Steck and the Baptist Church above. Knob and other places. "We· wanted to go to West Virginia. So we came back to the railroad -~nd leaving the train at Dublin, we walked to New Rive.r and crossed it above Narrows. The men were just building the road down tfie river then. We we.nt by Pearisburg and across the country to the C. and 0. Railroad. We took the train at Hinton and went- down through !he coal fields, stopping at Sewell, Guinnimont, Hawk's Nest and Ansted. J-esse worked at the carpenter's trade and I worked on the farm at Ansted till Brother Henry wrote .for-us to come and help him with a . big house and drug store he was having built. Jesse went a little while before I did. "When I went to Calhoun, I taught my first school at Barn's Run in that county. Then I taught at Arnolds­ burg,· Valley Fork, Knob, and Pleasant Retreat, the last three in Clay County. In 1886 I came home. I went to school at the Mountain Normal at Hylton for thre.e terms, after which I taught several schools in Montgom­ ery, Floyd and Carroll. "Jesse became a contractor and worked in different parts of West Virginia. Then he -went to Cincinnati, Memphis, Washington, and then to Chicago. "Daniel and Henry traveled through parts of West Virginia before Jesse and I went there and sold ''Dr. K.i~g's Family Physician," a medical work which sold for $8.50!' ' The post office Altize.r, W. Va. in Calhoun County was named for Henry Altizer.

214 CHAPTER 25 Civil War Records Letters V. A. following a record denote. Veterans Administration, Washington; S. denotes State of Vir­ _ginia; A. T., Annals of Tazewell Co . •.\.ARON ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. E. 45th Battalion, Va~ Inf. Enl. July 20, 1863 in Logan Co. Va. Another record shows Aaron Altizer Co. I, 1st Regt. Va. Cav. Farmer, 37 yrs. old ; ht. 5 ft. 4 in. ; light complexion; grey eyes; brown hair. Residence, Logan Co. On list of prisoners confined in Atheneum Prison, Wheeling, Va. Apr. 20, 1863. Sent to Baltimore Apr. 21, 1863. V. A. DAVID R. ALTIZER-Pvt. Capt. E. V. Harma~'s Co. McDowell's Partisan Rangers, Va. Volunteers (be­ came Co. C. 34th Battalion, Va. Cav.) Enlisted June. 1, 1862 at Camp Peery for 3 yrs. or war. Another record says David R. Altizer pvt. Co. C. Witcher's Mounted Riflemen; enlisted by Maj. Witcher Oct. 1, 1862 in Taze­ well Co. Va. (Both organizations became 34th Va. Caval­ ry.) V. A. E. D. ALTIZER-Shown on list of Co. A. 54th Va. Inf. as from Floyd Co. Va. On list of deceased soldiers dated General Hospital, Liberty, Va. July 13, 1863, leav­ ing $7.15. V. A. (We have been unable. to place this man on chart). ELISHA ALTIZER-Served in Confederate Army, but we have found no record for him. EMORY ALLTIZER-Floyd Co. Private Capt.· James Breathed's Battery "Stuart's Horse Artillery." S. ENNIS D. ALLTIZER-Floyd Co. Private Capt. James Breathed's Battery "Stuart's Horse Artillery." S. JEPTHA G. ALLTIZER-Enlisted Dec. 2, 1863 at Dublin, Va. as pvt. Co. D. 63d Regt. Va. Infantry. ·Taken prisoner of war May 25, 1864. Captured near Dallas, Ga. Forwarded to Louisville, Ky., then to Rock Island, Ill. File contains oath of allegiance to the United States,

215 signed at Rock Island May 18, 1865. Signature as above.. Residence, Montgomery_ Co. Va. Description: ftesh complexion, black hair, hazel eyes; height 5 ft. 11 in. 37 years of age. ·V. A. JESSE R. ALLTIZER-See Chapter 24. JESSE W. ALTIZER-Private in Beathed's Battery Va. Artillery known as "Stuart's Horse Artillery," com­ manded by John· P~Iham and Jame~ Breathed. S. JOHN A. ALLTIZER-Pvt. Co. H. 29th Regt. Va. In­ fantry. Enlisted Apr. 2, 1862 at Mouth of Indian Creek, Tazewell Co. Va. by Gen. H. Marshall. On list of pri­ soners surrendered Apr. 9, 1865 by Gen. Lee to Gen. Grant. File contains original receipt signed by John A. ·Alltizer Apr. 26, 1862 for re-enlistment bounty of $50. V. A.· . John Altza, Private, Co. H. 29th Regt. Corse's Bri­ gade; Tazewell Co. ~urrended Appomatox. S. John A. Altizer Co. H. Confederate army 29th Va. Infantry, Roster Vo. 3. Va. Inf. Ebenezer Brewster Capt. A. T. J. A. ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. H. 29th Regt. Corse's Brigade. 3yrs. Tazewell Co. p. I. (pension list). S. J. A. Altizer, Private Co. H. Con!ederate army 29th Va. Infantry, Roster Vo. 3, Va. Inf. Ebenezer Bre.wster, Capt. A. T. JOHN ALTIZER-Pvt. Capt. E. V. Harman's Co. Va. Volunteers (34th Va. Cavalry). Enlisted June 1, 1862 at Camp Peery. Oct. 3, 1862 was ele.cted 4th Sergt. Co. E. No further rect.,rd except following letter: Hdq. 34th Battn. Cav. Feb. 10, 1864 Gen. S. Cooper A. & I. Genl. Genl:-Having offered my resignation and having not heard from it since, I ~ereby offer my unconditional and immediate resignation as Brevet 2nd Lt. of Co. E. 34th Batt. and respectfully ask it be accepted. John Altizer.

216 Brief on back of Jetter by Lt. Col. Witcher says "Ap­ prove.d and respectfully forwarded." V. A. John Altizer, Sec. Lt. Co. E, 34th Battalion of Cavalry Roster, ~ol. 13 Cavalry Battalions, John Yost Capt. resigned Aug. 12, 1863. A. T. J. W. ALTIZER-Floyd Co. Private Capt. James Breathed's Battery "Stuart's Horse Artille.ry.'' S. JOHN ALLTIZER-Floyd Co. Co. H. 4th Regiment Va. Reserves. Also called 5th Regt. S. (This may have been "Lame John," son of Jonas.) R. ALTIZER-Fvt. Capt. J. R. Francis Co. V-a. Volunteers Co. became Co. D. 63rd Va. Inf. En,isted Apr. 15, 1862 (?), Montgomery Co. Name appears on pay roll dated Abingdon Iv.lay 21, 1862. No further record. Detailed for speeial service. (Above record may refer to W. R. Altizer, as the same record appears for W. Al­ tizer. Later records are for W. R. Altizer.) V. A. R. R. ALTIZER-On list of Co. K. 54th Regt. Va. Inf. not dated. From Floyd Co. Va. V. A. THOMAS ALTIZER-Pvt. C. E. 1st Battalion Va. Mtd. Rifles (34th B~ttalion Va. Cavalry), Enlisted at Camp Dry Fork Aug 15, 1862 by Capt. Harman for 3 yrs. Report of Feb. 1, 1863 showed him as still serving. No record of discharge. V. A. Thomas Altizer Co. E, 34th Battalion of Cavalry Roster, Vol. 13 Cavalry Battalions, John Yost Capt. re­ signed Aug. 12, 1863. A. T. THOS. ALTIZER-Pvt. Capt. John H. Hickey's Co. Erwin's Battalion Missouri Infantry. Age 16 at enlist­ me.nt March 23, 1862 at Van Buren, Ark. by Col. Clark for 3 yrs or war (Co. became Co. F. 3d Battalion Mo. Infantry). Reported present July 1, 1862. (Traveled 500 miles to place of rende-zvous.) V. A. WILLIAM ALTIZER-5th Sergt. Co. K Bowen's Regt. Mtd. Riflemen. Enlisted by Capt. Francis Aug. 1, 1863 in Montgomery Co. for 3 years. This regt. known as 22d Va. Cavalry. Shown as 4th Sergt. on list dated

217 Aug.· 1864. Reported sick in hospital Oct.-Dec. 1864. No discharge date. ·v. A. w. H .. Altizer, Enlisted 1863 for 2 yrs. Montgomery Co. Co. K. Regt. 22nd Cavalry Brigade. S. (Probably same as above.) WILLIAM R. ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. D. 63d Regt. Va. Infantry. Enlisted Apr. 15, 1862 at Camp Narrows by Major French for 3 years. Died Dec. 1, 1863 at Atlanta, Ga. Manuscript No. 1999, p. 19 (V. A.) shows Fair­ ground Hosp-ital account of $11.50 for burial expenses. V. A. Quarter master'g Report of Major Dillard, Colum­ bus, Ga. dated Feb. 24, 1864 shows P. Altizer paid $12.00 for making 29 pairs drawers; Mrs. or Miss Altizer paid $9.80 for making 98 sacks. V. A. From the Adjutant General's Office U. S. Army come these Union Army resords: EDMONSON ALLTIZER-Enrolled at Pittsfield, Ill. Mustered in Aug. 23, 1862 in Co. A. 99th Ill. Infantry. Left sick at Houston, Mo. in Jan. or Feb. 1863. No fur­ ther record. (This is the son of Andrew R. Altizer. He died during the war.) ELIAS ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. G. 47th Wisc. Infantry. Enlisted at Boscobel, Wis. for 1 year Jan. 26, 1865. Born Posey Co. Ind. Age 43. Eyes brown; hair black; comple.x­ ion dark; height 5 ft. 9½ in. Mustered out at Nashville, Tenn. Sept. 4, 1865. (Apparently son of old Elias.) EMERY S. ALLTISER-Pvt. Co. F. 28th Ill. Inf. Age 30, b. Va. Enlisted Oct. 22, 1864 at Mt. Sterling, Ill. Farmer. Eyes gray; hair dark; complexion dark; height 5 ft. 9 ½ in. Substitute for Jacob S. Peer. Residence when enlisted Spig Creek (?) Pike Co. Ill. Sick in hospital from June 9, 1865 Mobile. Ala. Muste.red out Oct. 21, 1865- (Son of Andrew R.) JOHN ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. G. 40th Ind. Infantry. Enlisted Sept. 21 1864 at Columbus. Age 24. Farmer. b. Switzerland Co. Ind. Eyes blue; hair dark; complexion

218 fair. Height 5 ft. 10 in. Residence Madison township, Jefferson Co. Discharged at Madison, Ind. on account of wounds May 26, 1865. "Wounded at battle of Franklin, Tenn. Nov. 30 1864 while gallantly doing his duty." (Prob~bly a descendant of Elias.) JOHN M. ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. C. 7th regt. Wisc. Enrolled Aug. 1, 1861 at Plattville, Wisc. Age 21, Apptd. 2d Corporal July-Aug. 1862 report. Absent, woubde.d since July 1, 1863. Discharged Feb. 24, 1884 on acct. of gun shot wounds at l}ettysburg. Papers say b. Posey. Co. Ind. Teacher, Age 24 in 1864. Height 5 ft. 4 in. Dark complexion, black eyes, black hair. Also wounded at South Mountain Sept. 1862. 14, 1862. (Grandson of Elias, and son of John.) MOSES ALTIZER-Pvt. Capt. Gilbert's Co. 7th Ind. Cavalry. Enrolled at Madison, Ind. Mustered in at In­ dianapolis Sept. 19, 1863. In hospital at Memphis from Feb. 11, 1864. Died l{ar. 12, 1864 at Memphis. Descrip­ tion: Aged 19. Height 5 ft. 10 in. eyes black, hair black. B. Switzerland. Co Ind. Farmer. Another record _says enlisted at Jefferson Co. SIMON ALTIZER-Pvt. Co. D. 1st Re.gt. Missouri State Militia Infantry. Enrolled Apr. 2, 1862 at Louisiana, Mo. Disc~arged at St. Louis Hospital Sept. 27, 1862. (Son of Andrew R.) SPIRAL ALTIZER-(Sparrel) Pvt. Co. I;>. ist S~ Militia, Mo. Infantry; enrolled Feb. 21, 1862 at Louisian~, Mo. Promoted to corporal Aug. 8, 1863~ Sick at De Soto March and April, 1864. Promoted to Sergt. May 1, 1864. Sick in Post Hospital, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Mustered out Apr. 7, 1865. ( Obituary Kingfisher, Okla. newspaper says Enlisted Co. B. 1st Reg. Inf. M. M. Feb. 20 1862; discharged Apr. 7, 1865 at St. Louis.) (Son of Andre.w R.) Altizer pensioners of the State of Virginia were: Jesse W. Altizer, Montgome-ry; Jesse Altizer, Mont­ gomery; John Altizer, Tazewell; John Altizer (2), Taze-

219 well ; Riley Altizer, Tazewell ; Thomas Altizer, Tazewell; Arminta, wife of J. Wesley, Floyd.; Lucinda, wife of En­ nis, Floyd; Martisha, wife of John Altizer, Augusta; Nancy, wife of William R., Floyd; Sarah, probably wife of John A. Altizer, Taze.well; Elizabeth, probably wife of Adam, Augusta; Michael Akers, son of Nancy and Adam, Floyd;. Elias A.kers, ~loyd; Martha Akers, Floyd; Martha E. Akers, Montgomery; Lou Altizer Thompson, wife of Tom Thom-pson. Some connection!l of the Alti~er family who served in the Confederate 3rmy were : Adam Akers, private in Co. F. 11th Regt. Ke.mper's Brigade, "Preston Guards," Montgomery; seve.re!y wounded Gettysburg; Anaerson Alley, private Capt. James Breathed's Battery "Stuart's Horse Artillery," Floyd; Henry, David, Solomon and Phillip Eppe.rly, Co. H. also called 5th Regt. 45th Regt. Va. Reserves; Arch Akers, Co. D. 29th Regt. Corse~s Brigade, Carroll Co., discharged Apr. 1862 as over age; Richard B. Alley, enlisted 1861, Color Bearer, ·Co .. A. 54th Regt. Marshall'~ Brigade, Floyd. Died near Chris­ tiansburg March :6, 1912; Nathan and Stuart Alley, grandsons of Jonas Altizer, military unit unknown to us; Amos Akers, 3d Lt. Co. F. 54t~ llegt., Marshall's Brigade; Solomon and Daniel Akers, Co. 2, 54th Regt. Marshall's Brigade; J. · McDaniel, Co. I. 54th Regt. Marshall-S Brigade, Floyd; David and ~aniel Christian, David Gates, William and James Whitt, all of Co. H. 29th Virginia Infantry,. ~benezer Brewster, Captain.

220 CHAPTER 26

Later Altizera An Indian story, told us by Jacob S. Altizer: In 1869, William Altizer, son of Elias E. and grandson of John, left Floyd and went to Silver City, Ne.w Mexico. He and a partner took a two-horse wagon, guns, ammu­ nitio~ and provisions for . a month, and went to the mountains to prospe.c1' for minerals. While there, they killed a cub bear, an~ while they were dressing it, Wil~ liam took off his shoes to rest his feet. Hearing a noise, he looked up and saw Indians, two to each horse, swarm­ ing over the brow of the hill, with war-paint on~ whoop­ ing and yelling. They grabbed their pistols, left every­ thing they had and ran and hid under a brush pile. The Indians passed over it, not knowing they were. the~e. Smoke darkened the sky. When William returned to Silve.r City, he found that the place had .been raided, and almost everybody, including women and children, had been killed. William ··was captured one or more times by the Indians, and forced to live for some time in their quarters. He was given snake soup, and ate it with no bad results. He escaped the. Indians and made his way to Silver City. Later he disappeared. Presumably he died or was killed some.where in the west. From Annals of Tazewell County are these .items: 1860-Thomas S. Christian, William Altizer ·and Robert McGlothlin were. "trustees of a meeting house built on the land th2t Hugh S. Bailey bought of. Alex~ ander Christian." 1867-At the trial of the first person to be sente.nc­ ed to capital punishment in Tazewell County, John Altizer was on the iury. Benjamin Hardin had· killed Dennis T. Burns. He was found guilty by the jury and hanged.

221 1878-Thomas C. Christian was one of the trustees for the M. E. Church South. They received a deed for a lot beginning at the fork of Indian near Lochart's Chapel containing 1/2 acre running with the Bearwallow Road and Indian Creek, etc. 1891-June Court. District officers elected May 28, 1891 · qualified before the court. William H. Altizer a justice of the peace for Maiden Springs district. 1895-June Court. T. A. Altizer elected Constable for · Maiden ·Spring Dist. 1897-June Court. Thos. A. Altizer again qualified as Constable. 1915-April Special Term. T. M. Altizer appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue. 191~November s·pecial Term. J. B. Altizer elect­ ed Commissioner of the Reve.nue. Will Book 6, p. 495, Will of Thomas V. Altizer pro­ bated July 1894; devises property to his wife, Lillie C. Bk.- 6, p. 206, Will of William Altizer probated Feb. 1892; devises property to his wife Lavisa; to William R. Pruitt; to his sons Joseph E. and Henry D. The oldest Altizers now living who are known to us are: Thomas Altize.r, son of David Riley ( of David), no"1 eighty-one year~ old (1936). He lives at Sonora, Texas, with his daughter, Mrs. Cauthorn. He was born in Virginia and loves to talk of the old days there. His wife died two years ago. . Joe Altizer of Roanoke, son of Elisha (of John) is now eighty-six. He is of the average Altizer height and weight, and has blue eyes, and of course gray hair. His faculties are well preserved. John, Emera's eldest son, die

222 Joseph M. Altizer, the oldest member of the family when this book was written. He ·died Feb. 1987, at 86 years, before printing was completed. Leander Altizer is about seventy-six. He was born in Montgomery, then moved to Botetourt and now lives near Roanoke. One of the writers who visited him be­ lieves him the nearest counterpart of old Emera, as he must have looked, among the many we met. He is of. medium build, with the usual blue eyes and gray hair Leander and his wif~, Cynthia Akers. Altizer, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Aug. 23, 19-36. Al­ though she is considerably younger, we speak here of Lea~de.r's sister, Henrietta Altizer-Scaggs, who has given us valuable assistance. She and her husband have lived for twenty-four. year~ in· Falfurrias, Texas, where they have an orange grove. ·Before her marriage, He.nrietta was a teacher.. We visited Stuart Altize.r of Newbern, Virginia, then eighty-two though he appeared much younger. He too was a man of intelligence and charm.· His wife., Isabel Akers Altizer, granddaughter of Emera's daughter Nancy, is living at Newbern in an interesting frame house more than a hundred years old. After we had given up hope of heari~g from any descendant of Emera's son Elias, we were thrilled to receive a letter from Leonard Scott Altizer, now sev~nty-six years old, who lives in Big Patch, a rural route of Platteville, Wisconsin. He and his wife, who was Catherine C. Thomas of Big Patch, celebrated their golden wedding· at Thanksgiving, 1935. They have no children. He wrote that his grandfather, John Altizer, son of Elias, moved to California with six of his children, leaving Leonard, eldest son of John and father of Scott, in Wisconsin. Scott was then about ten years old. John,s children are.now all dead. Scott gave other information incorporated in the chart. Somewhat younger than these are Rufus Altizer, Jacob s. Altizer, Jacob D. Altizer, D. S. Lucas;Henry Edson Altizer and his brother, William Altizer. Most of these we have spoicen of elsewhere. Daniel S. Lucas we found to resemble. Leander Altizer as much as if they 224 were twins. Daniel is of Emery Junior's line, Leander of Jonas', and their resemblance must therefore be due to the founder of our family, since these two sons had different mothers. Daniel Lucas taught school in Logan County from 1892 to 1897, and knew Simon and Aaron and the.ir families. It was from Aaron that he learned the birj;hplace of Emera and the story of Pitzer's bet with Emera about the shoe. He moved to Floyd from the old Lucas homestead which adjoined the home­ stead of Emery Junior about five miles south of Riner, Va. The last two men on the list above are sons of Aar9n. Henry Edson of Yolyn, W. ·Va. has timbe.red, sold real estate, and is now in the insurance business. He too is an Altizer in appearance. Our frequent quotation~ .from his letters show the W-eat assistance that he has given us. William Altizer served two terms as deputy sheriff' in Logan County beginning 1896 and 1900. "These were under personal bonls," he said, "and the bondsmen didn't suffer." He. has also engaged in lumber and- mer­ cantile businesses, and is now a farmer in Wayne County, W. Va. Henry wrote us that George Altizer of the. Taze­ well branch was formerly Superintendent of a mining camp for the Amhe.rst Coal Company at Arville, W. Va., and on Coal River in Boone County. He now lives in Tazewell County. He had brothers Ed and John, but we we.re unable to place them on the chart in line of descent. Indirectly we. heard from Mrs. Otis Altizer of Kings­ ville, Texas, who wrote in 1925 to He.nrie~a Altizer Scaggs as follows: "The branch (of the family) who went t0 Illinois first went to Tazewell County. They had a boy Taze­ well who died at about 30 unmarried. He was my hus- 1,and's uncle. I think he had a sister too. i'l y father­ in-law, William Altizer, died before I was born, I think probably about 1-884 or 1-885, leaving a widow and tl1e !""·I :7,;" ::- 225 foJlowing children; Willie., Otis, · Dave Austin. l\Iollie, Della and Smith, a tiny baby when his father died. Smith was killed in France. All the others are living. My moJ:her-in-law- was- named Otwell before she married. In those days her father was a judge and very prom­ inent and well~to-do, and I think Mr. Altizer assisted or was in some way connected with his wife's father. Of course ttat was mal!v years ago. "The thing that stood out and was most talked of about William Altizer was his musical talent. My father s.nd many others of the older people have told me that thcugh he was not trained, ·his talent was wonderful, especially with the violin. My mother-in-law died in ~~~~- 1918. She had married ag.ain, had two morP.' children \ ' and then moved to Californja about a year before she died. She had a sister whom all the world as far as ·I know called Aunt Jane. Aunt Jane was very fond of b_er brother-in-law, Mr. Altizer, and she told me most of what T know of" the early days. She is now very, very old and -lives at Pearl, Illinois, whe-re William Altizer married and died."

"I{ • This _lady now live_s at ~ingsville, Te~~s- _1,le~ _ 1 1 LfoT I s 1ti:t \1,Bon 1s married and has a httle ~- El.. o ye c fr n= I~ l , -i.. -- < Robert Altizer of L~~s, Indiana, wrote in January, 1937 to Willie Belle Cauthorn: "My grandfathe:r, Isaac Altize.r, was born Nov. 14, 1817, I think in the state of Pennsylvania. He came to a place near Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana, and_ married Sarah Emil. Their children were : 1. William, who had: Minta East; Clara Ruch; Eva Wood; Allen, Anne Cope; Myrtle Holtzman. 2. Ellen m. William Land. They went to Missouri in ·the SO's. They had: Mary Browning; Ida; Ed- ward; Charles; Nellie Jc#// il./4 · 3. John (my father) ; killed in his mill in 1881; m. Nancy McCoy. They had: James M.orton,

226 who m. twice. His first wife had a· son, Clar­ ence, who lives at Leavenworth, Kansas. ·James' ·second wife whom he m. at Independence, Mo. in 1914 is Mrs. C. B. Altize.r of El Paso, Texas. Samuel A. now dead. Lieu Ella. Ch. : Leona. Martha A. d. at 18 yrs. George G. (dead). Robert W. (the writer) Ch.: Goldie. Chas. F. Two others died in childhood. 4. George Altizer m. Kate--~ Went west in the 80's. Ch.: Bertha, Stella, John, Charley; prob­ ably another child. 5. Moses died during Civil War, unmarried. (See Chapt. 25.) 6. Sarah died young. "My grandfather (Isaac) went to Parson, Kansas, about 1883 and died at the age of 92. His son William had two ~oys and five girls to live till they were. grown; one girl in California, one in Idaho, three children in Indianapolis. John's children all have passed away; but two of us left, my sister and myself. James passed away 14 months ago i~ El Paso, at 72 yea.rs of age. Oscar was killed at the age of 10. Martha died at 18 years; Gilbert at 30 and Charles at 28. I am still here at the age of 63, and my sister at Terre Haute. at 69. "I haeeheard much of an Altizer who used to be a great baseball playe.r and learned he was a relative of ours. I think he was either from Illinois or Iowa. .A . few years ago I learned of. an old couple not far from me that inquired of us and we found out we were some kin. His name was B:1rnes, and he said his mother was a sister of Isaac Altizer, my grandfather. They have both passed away ~ince but some of their children are living." Mrs. Hope F. Altizer of GI en dale, California wrote to Mrs. Cauthorn in January, 1937: "My husband, David Lincoln Altizer, was an orphan when I met him. This was in Boscobel, Wisconsin. He

227 had a siste.r Eunice and a brother Jim. I think he had .another brother, but I never met them. We had a letter since coming to Los .~ngeles from an Altizer in Ontario, California. This man said David was a family name and the early Altizers were from Virginia, so my husband was evidently from that branch. "Another Altizer, an elevator manufacturer from Chicago, came to see me here, but I knew so little of my husband's family we could not tell exactly what relationship existed, if any. (Authors' note: Jesse P. and David Lincoln Altizer were in all probability third cousins, or perhaps third cousins once removed. Old Elias ·was considerably older than his brother Jonas.) My husband was a reticent man, little given to talking about his own. I have three grown sons here in Los Angeles, Homer, Frank and James. We have been here fifteen years. "My people (Sherrard) also came from Virginia and we have the- record from the first Martin Sherrard, who landed in Virginia." We regret that we could not place any of the writers of these letters in their exact place in our chart. How­ ever, records in their native counties should enable those interested to find their antecedents. Three veterans of the Spanish-American War -ap- pear on the chart, though there we.re probably others we did not hear about. Warner G. Altizer (of John's line) was a private in Co. B. 2nd Virginia Infantry; residence Riner, Virginia. Enrolled at Richmond July 16, 1898. Mustered out Dec. 20, 1898. Age 23 years, 1 month. Height 5 ft. 7 ½ in. Fair complexion, blue eyes, }iQ"l,t 1,~;.,._ Ror.,, Floyd Courthouse., Va. Farmer. Mr. G. W. Altizer, father, Riner, Montgomery County, Va. We do not have the record of his brother Bernice, nor of Charles Walters ( of Jonas' line) . Extracts from two letters written by Charles ,v alters are of interest:

228 San Francisco, Calif. Oct. 30, 1898 Dear Grandmother :-I suppose my e-nlistinent in the Army was quite a surprise to you all. I enlisted at Wash­ ington, D. C. Sept. 25, left there for Fort Snelling, Minn. a few days later. Left there for San Francisco Sunday the 22nd. The trip was grand. I think very well of this conntrv. It's something for a person to look at. The flowers are now in full bloom. Our camp is overlooking the Pacific. The seagulls and petrels are lining the shore. Well, I suppose you think me awful, traveling so much, but my head was always bent on traveling and seeing the world. I have seen lots since I left home not quite a year ago. We, the 45th Re.gt. Vol. will sail for Manila Nov. 6th, 1899 on the Transport Hancock.... I will come back to see you all after I have been around the globe, which I expect to do before I see Virginia any more. Goodbye, with best wishes to all. Your. grandson, Private Chas. Walters, Co. B. 45 U. S. Volunteers Infantry. San Francisco, May 20, 1901 (18 months later) Dear Father,-We the 45th and 46th Regiments arrived here the 17th. Left Manila Apr. 23, and went by the way of Nagisaki, Japan. Stopped there two days. We had a pretty good trip considering everything, and will be mustered out the first of June. This country seems terribly cold.... The Battleship "Ohio" was launched the 18th here. President McKinley was here and while we were still on the transport, he came by on a launch and welcomed us by taking off his hat. I recognized him as quick as I caught sight of him. Well this has been lots of experience for me. I am done my sightseeing for a while and think the United States- is large enough to hold me for a while .... Write and give me all the news. Charles M. Walters

229 Charles died at a comparatively early age, unmar­ ried. Dan Walters, his brother, is the owner of a gold mine in Floyd County. His holdings, with those of two other men, comprise the most valuable vein of gold in the state, as proved by tests made by government metal­ lurgists. He has been offered huge sums for his mine. William Altizer, a descendant of John, was Pres­ ident of the Bank of Riner, Virginia. His son, W. 0. Al­ tizer, is on the Board of Supervisors of Montgomery ·county. Otho Altizer of Riner is Sheriff of Montgomery County. We heard again and again of Dave Altizer, said to be a Big League baseball player. One correspondent said he played on the Washington team about thirty years ago; was a native of Pennsylvania and had been a soldier in the Philippines; and that the sports column said he later lived in California. Another said that he was of more rece.nt date, playing as recently as three years ago. · Perhaps there were two. A sketch in Bruce's History of Virginia, Volume IV, gives James B. Altizer of Tazewell County as Mayor of Richlands about 1922~ and commissioner of the revenue for Maiden Springs district for seven years. James Harvey Altizer of the line of John, lived at Mineral· Wells, Texas, where for many years he was a lawyer and Judge of the court. In 1919 he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he died in 1921, aged 7 4. A correspondent described to us as "a fine old home" a farm on the Guyandotte River known as "the Altizer place." This, we surmise, is the properly which com­ prises the "Altizer addition" to the town of Hunting­ ton, W. Va. several miles east of the main part of town. The interest felt by Emera Altizer's descendants in preserving family history is shown by the fact that out of twenty-six members of the Colonel William Christian Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in

230 Christiansburg, organized a little more than a year ago, twelve are lineal descendants of Emera: Eula Altizer Reed Edith Altizer Mary Alma· W. Board Ada Basham Katy Sue Weaver Esthma Basham Collings Margaret Weaver Hazel Moore Evelyn B. Williamson Gertrude Altizer Nixon Lila V. Williamson. Ruby Altize.r Roberts We have mentioned the names of those who had much information to give us. No less worthy of mention, if space permitted, are the- m;any others who gave what they could. The sum of all these "widow's mites" makes a considerable store of family history. We acknowledge with sincere thanks 1111 help of every kind. ·

231 CHAPTER 27 Genealogical Sketches A few of these sketches give definite information ~.bout the relatives-in-law of the Altizers. But· most are intended as starting-points for research, giving general information which we happened on in our ~tudy. Space being limited, we have selected from our long lists those who seemed most likely to be connections. The deriva­ tions of names will interest some whom we could not offer sketches. .ALLEY-Pweller at a passage or walk; from Med­ ieval English aley. They appear to have followed the ·valley route to Montgomery and Franklin. In 1766, William Alley of Augusta County patented land on both sides of Jackson's River. First census 1790 gives John Alley Kent Co. Md.; others in Ann Arundel and Balti­ more Counties, Md. In Montgomery Co. Va., Carey Alley m. Mary Short 1785;. Thos. Alley served in Montgomery Militia 1777-8 ; again mentioned 1785 and 1805 ; Eliza­ beth Alley, dau. Thos. m. Joseph Compton 1787; Robt. Alley and Anne McPher~on m. 1793, Robt. Eley (Alley?) surety; Nicholas Alley m. Mary Dennis 1794, Hercules Ogle surety; Thos. _.\lley m. Rachel Smallwood 1815. Will of Nicholas Alice (formerly of Franklin Co.) pro­ bated July 1808, names wife Mary, dau. of Joseph Del!­ nis, and ch.: Anne, Nicholas, Merry, Betsy, Joseph, Isaac. Hannah, these by second wife Mary; and Sarah Stephe1•.s, Jeremiah, Keziah Collins, David, John and William by first wjfe. In Franklin County: David Alley m. Ch~rity Bl·be, 1786, Nicholas Alley surety; Daniel Dobbins (Collins?) m .. Keziah Alley, dau. Nicholas 1788; William Alley m. Sukey Biby, Sherod Bybe Surety 1802. ANDERSON-Andre'.v's Son, from A&crew (Scotch­ English-Greek) Manly. BALLARD-The Ballard family of Monroe County

232 (now W .., Va.) descends from Lt. William Ballard, 1732- 99, of Revolutionary fame. Before the war, William Ballard lived in Fairfax County where the city of Wash­ ington now stands, with his p.arents William Ballard Sr. and Mary Johnson Ballard, and his seven brothers and four sisters. William Ballard Jr. married Elizabeth Steppe, named for her aunt Elizabeth Steppe Morris, wife of William Mo~js, first settler of Kanawah County. (There is a William Morris chapter of :Daughters of the American Revolution, at Charleston, W. Va., composed entirely of the descendants of this couple). The children of William Ballard Sr. were: Elijah, Thomas, William Jr., Johnson, Manon, Phillip, Larkin, Curtis, Millie, Delpha, Susan and Ankie. The first three sons fought in the-Revolutionary army. Some of the family moved to Albemarle Co., later to Orange and then to Monroe Co. William Ballard Sr. came from the family of Adam De Ballard, member of parliament from He~ordshire in the year 1272, during the reign of Edward I. A mem­ ber of the family, John Ballard, was a priest of the Semi­ nary at Rhem during the reign of Elizabeth and is men­ tioned by the historian Hume as engaging in an attempt to liberate Mary Que~n of Scots. William Junior and Elizabeth Steppe were the par­ ents of twelve children. For information regarding these see Morton's History of Monroe County. A gre~t grand­ son of William Jr., M1... Oliver Ballard, Greenville, W. Va. is reputed to be the best authority on the Ballard family now living. The Ballards are. noted for their longevity, and for forthrightness of speech, deferring to nothing in the expression of what they believe to be the truth. BASHAM-Dweller in the lowlands, from Norman­ French bas, low, plus Old English ham, home. The coat of arms is very old, dating to about the 12th century: or (gold) with 3 pa!ets gules (narrow vertical stripes of red.) The charge is supposed to represent a paling such as stockades or fortifications were made of, to pro-

233 tect soldiers a-gainst arrows. The will of William Bassam probated Cumberland Co. Va. 1768. They probably fol­ lowed the valley route to Franklin, where a William Bas­ ham m. Anna Meador dau. Jesse Meador 1797. This William lived until 1800 or later. BARNETT-Teutonic (German) form of Anglo­ Saxon beorn, warrior or nobleman, plus diminutive suf­ fix et. BEAVER-From French Beauvoir, or fair view. . . BISHOP-Bishop, from Old English biscop, Latin episcopus. BOLDON, BOLDEN-Dweller at a Hall or Mansion, from Old English bold, hall. BRAME-a form of Braham, Dweller at. the brae­ land, from Medieval English bra, a hill-slope plus Old - English ham, home, estate or piece of land. BUCKLEY-Dweller at- the Buck-Lea, from Old English bucc, -a buck, plus leah, a meadow. BURK-English or Teutonic, from Old Teutonic burg, a stronghold, from which word comes Old French· burc. 'The family of de Burgh or Burke has since the reigns of Henry III ,ind Edward I been esteemed one of the most opulent and powerful of the Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland u:-r1der Strongbow. It held, by con­ quest and regal grant, whole territories in counties Gal­ way,· Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary and Limerick, Ire­ land"-Burke's Peerage. Earliest Burks in Virginia whom we found: Wm.- Burk d. 1754 Augusta; in Bedford militia 1758 were were Richard, Richard Jr., Boling, William, and John Patrick Burks; James Burke in Au­ gusta militia 1758; Tobias Bourk was Sergt. in Capt. Porterfield's Co. of Va. Riflemen in the Revolution; in all probability, father or grandfather of Tobias Burk who m. Susan Altizer; in the same company were Christopher Duncan, Wm. Edmundson, John Anderson and other Montgomery names; William Burk was a private in Co.

234 No. 7 as of 1777 of Col. Morgan's Riflen1en under Capt. Peter Bryn. Montgomery Burks: Thomas Burk patented land 1785 on w. side of New River "opposite where he now lives"; Thomas Burk's will probated 1798, mentions . 4 bros.; Josiah, Samuel, John and Benj. and 2 sisters; Hannah Peterson and Betsy Burk; John Burke m. in Montgo. between 1786 and 1797; Joseph Marshall Burk and Wm. Burk m. between 1792 and 1794. Joseph Burk d. 1786. BURKETT-From Anglo-French, from Teutonic, The Httle stronghold. CAWTHORN, CAWTHRON-Gutteralized form of Hawthorn, (English). Dweller by a hawthorne tree. - CHRISTIAN-Anglo-Saxon from Latin Christus) i,nointed. Pendleton's History of Tazewell County says th{! origin of this family has been traced to Scotland where prior to _16th century it was spelled ~,lac Christian. They were established in Wigtonshire, Scotland \1.r~til 1422, after which they figure in Man, a few miles dis­ tant. The name is historic. John Christian of Undrigg Castle m. Is-abela~ dau. of Henry, Lord Percy, the famous Earl of Northumberland. William MacChristian of Alb­ dale and Milntown, parish of St. Frisity, was Master of the House of Keys for Ireland in 1422. Evan Christian, born 1579, was appointed Deemster or Judge of the Isle of Man at age 26; held office for 48 years. Gilbert Christian m. 1720 and removed from Scotland to Ireland. Several of the name emigrated to America and founded families in Pennsylvania, the Valley of Virginia and Tennessee. But the family was much earlier seated in eastern Virginia. Thomas Christian was granted land in James City County 1667 and 1687. It seems likely that the Tazewell Christians are descended from Gilbert Christian, uncle of Israel who founded Christiansburg. Gilbert with wife, three sons -John, Robert and William-and a daughter, Mary,

235 landed at Newcastle, Pa. 1726. (He is perhaps the Gil­ bert of the first paragraph.) In 1732 he removed to a spo~ near the site of Staunton, on Christian's Creek, giv­ ing his name to that stream. John Christian was " a prominent citizen," being repeatedly mentioned in. Augusta County records. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace. He died Augusta 1783 or 1791, two Johns' wills being probated in these years respectively. Robert Christian married Isabella ,Tiffins, of the lower Valley, and is the ancestor of the Christians now living in Augusta. Will prooated Augusta 1794. William is presumed to be the Capt. William Christian who was a member of a "Council of War" in southwest Virginia 1756. His wife wa3 Mary Campbell, probably a sister of Arthur Campbell, a Revolutionary officer distingushed at King~s Mountain, commanding riflemen from the Hols­ ton and Clynch Valleys. The tenitory now Tazewell was a part of Washing­ ton County at the latter's formation 1776. A Gilbert Christian was a commissioner of the peace for the second court held 1777. (For the first court, 1776, a Thomas Mastin was a justice of the peace. Mastin is a given name frequently found among the Tazewell Altizers and Christians. It is possible there was a family con­ nection; in ·1822 a Masteon Christian m. Jane Mc­ Veinster.) Three Tazewell wills will perhaps prove help­ ful to students; that of Moses Christian 1855 which names sons Mastin, John, Thomas, Samuel and Alexander. 2. Thomas Christian 1852; devises property to. wife and sons George andMathias, daus. Susan, Sarah and Lilly. 3. Anthony Christian probated 1898; devises property to sons Andrew J., Israel, John V. and Thomas V. and daus. Catherine, Jane and Elizabeth. CONNER, CONNOR-Means Counsel-Help; from Irish. and Gaelic conn, wisdom or counsel, plus a form of cobhair, meaning J~id or help. CUMMINGS-From the Anglo-Saxon personal 236 name Cumma (Old English cuma, stranger, guest). The progenitor of the Cummings family of Monroe Co. was Robert Cummings. He enlisted in the Revolutionary Army under Capt. Robert Adams at Cumberland Co., Pa. His first wife was Delpha Ballard, sister of Lt. William Ballard. By this marriage were the following children: John, b. 1801; m. Elizabeth Gibson; Charles m. Sally Miller (moved to Kansas) ; William m. Elizabeth Mann; Fanny m. John Ellis (or Ellison); Polly; Elizabeth. After the death of ·Delpha Ballard, Robert Cummings m. Dicea Gibson. One child, Gordon Cummings, was born to this union. John Cummings Sr. first married Elizabt~th Gibson, dau. Henry Gibson, and grand daughter of Jonathan and l\fary Gibson of Orange Co., Va. The in­ ventory of the estate of Henry Gibson (Sept. 1808) names wife Dicea, son Jonathan and daus. Elizabeth, Re­ becca, Nancy, and Pricilla. On Feb. 24, 1776 in Fin­ castle. County, there was surveyed to Henry Gibson 60 a. of land on Brush Creek on the waters of Rich Creek, a branch of New River. He is included in the list of men who swore all~giance to the state on October 13, 1777. The children of John Cummings and Elizabeth Gibson Cummings were: Robert, Austin, Woodson, Henry P., Jackson ~nd Eliza. John's wife was Nancy Broyls m. June 6, 1850. The only child by this marriage, Malinda Cummings Harvey. still survives. John Cum­ mings d. 1851. DUNCAN,-Irish and Gaelic, from Dun-cheann, Fortress-Head, or Chief. DELANEY, DULANEY-From the Irish Dulaine or more correctly O'Dubhshlaine (sh silent), dubh meaning black plus a form of ~Ian, meaning whole, healthy; hence strong and of dark complexion. They appear to have followed the Valley route, for the first we found was Michael Delaney who d. Frederick Co. Va., 1751. In 1756 Daniel Delaney of Culpeper Co. furnished pro­ visions to the Augusta Co. militia. In Maryland 1765, 237 a. Daniel Dulaney, a distingushed lawyer, defended the rights of the American people. Patrick Dulaney laid off the city of Frederick, Md. in 1745. William Dulaney was a member of the Virginia House of Bugesses from Shenandoah County in 1793-4 and a William H. Dulaney from 1795 to 1805. Samuel Dulany1s will was probated Montgomery County, Va. 1812; names childre.n: William, Benjamin, Daniel, Sarah Reed (wife of Wm. Reed), Rachel Grimes, Mary Davis and Elijah. This Samuel (wife Mary) had previously lived in Franklin where his dau. Rachel m. Robert Graham (Grimes) 1790. Daniel and Rachel seem to be family names. ELLOTT, ELLIETT-French diminutives of Elias. ELWICK, ELSWICK-Els comes either from Old English eald, old, or 1tn Anglo-Saxon personal name such as Ella; plus Old English wic, a place. EPPERLY~Originally Eberle, from Old German ebur, a boar, plus an adjective e-nding, lich, like. From 1727 onward, there were many immigrants of this name. They settled in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The l 790 census shows 19 heads of families by this name in America. In 1752 on ship St. Andrew, came Jeremias (settled in Shenandoah Co. d. 1799). Johan Georg, and Hans Jacob (probably the- Jacob Sr. to be discussed be­ low). These were no doubt related. The first census shows in Frederick Co., Md. Jacob Epperly, Sr. whose family then consisted of wife and two grown sons; and Jacob Epperly Jr. with wife, two daus. and one son un­ der 16. Jacob Senior was a carpenter; will probated Frederick Co. Md. May 7, 1811 gives: eldest son John, executor; da u. Christena ; sons George, Jacob and Chris­ tian, daus_. Elizabeth Sours, Cathern Funderburgh; will witnessed by David Funderburgh, Mathias Fogle and George Fox. His son John's will probated Frederick Co. Md. Oct. 29, 1824 names wife Susanna, ch.; Lydia m. Adam Gruber; Elizabeth; John; Jacob. In Mont-

238 go~ery Co. Va. 1786 a Christene Epperly m. Michael Whitmore, Anthony Hellendoll uncle and guardian. Probably this was Jacob Senior's daughter; and: his.-·wife born a Hellendoll. Jacob Epperly Jr. bought land from Samuel and Nancy Eason on Little River in Montgomery Feb. 26, 1799. In June 1799, George and Christian Epp~­ ly bought land from Shelors in Montgomery. (For~}nuch of the above we are indebted to Alice Epperly Cornett, who in turn owes much to the faithful research of M~s. William Hyde Talbott.) The will of Jacnb Epperly Jr. (wife Hannah) pro­ bated Floyd, Apr. 9·, 1849, shows children: Betsy m. 18~0 Geo. Spangler son of Daniel Spangler; John m. Nancy Pharis 1814. (See chart, Jonas' line) Catherine m. Wm. Lampoe 1820; s·any m. Jas. P. Lawrence 1829; Polly m. Jacob Sowers, son of George, 1820; Peggy; George m. Sally S"owers, dau. Henry Sowers 1814; Daniel b .. 1809; m. Elizabeth Lawrence dau. John Lawrence Sr. 1828. Jacob Junior's will also mentions heirs of deceased son Jacob. T,hree J~co·b Epperlys of the gene$tion of Jacob Junior's children married respe-ctively Polly Howry, Michael Howry surety 1817; Elizabeth Wade, dau. John Wade 1820; and Eliza Pfleger dau. Abram Pfleger 1824. One of. these · must have been the son of Jacob Jr., the others probably sons of George and Chris­ tian. Christian had a dau. Betsy m. 1820 Wm. Cronk, Henry Cronk surety. Christian Epperly's estate settled Floyd· 1845; no names. Probably other children of either George or Christian were: John Epperly m. Nancy Bis­ hop dau. Jacob Bishop 1822; William Epperly m. Ally Wade, dau. John Wade 1820. GILL, MATTHEWS, CHAPPELL, ROBERTS-Wil­ liam Gill, Sr. married a Miss Irvin and lived in Cliester­ field County, Va. His son·Wiiliam Jr. m. Epps McClaren and they became the parents of Ma~rtha Anne, who mar­ ried Alfred Daniel Matthews of Surry Co. Their daugh­ ter Margaret married Luther Rice Roberts, son of Cham-

239 berlain.- (b. 1825, d. 1917) and Caroline Chappell Roberts (b-. 1-827, d. 1900), and grandson of Patrick Roberts of Ch-esterfiela County.. Chappells, originally Le Da Chappell, came from Normandy to England with William the. Conqueror, ac­ cor,ding to Mr. Phil Chappell, author of "Genealogy of Chappell, Dickie and Kindred Familes." They belonged to the nobility and we-re living in England in 1500. Wil­ Iikm Chappell was the tutor of John Milton in 1648. This family was among the very first· of the Anglo-Saxon race to come to America.. Bennett Chappell came in 1685 with the colony who remained only a year and returned to England. The immigrant ancestor of the Virginia ·Chappells was Capt. John, master of the Spe~dwell,- the ship !lext in date. after the Mayflower. It set sail May 28, 1635, from Southampton, England. Ca.pta1n John had two children: Thomas, b. 1612, who settled on the James river, and a daughter. Descendants of Capt. John Chappell still live in 'Surry and neighbor­ ing counties. GORDON-"Thc main line of this ancient Scotch family was he.aded by the Earls of Huntley from 1445 to 1559, when the Earl then living was created Marquess of Huntley. In 1684, the Marquess then living was rais­ ed in the Peerage by the title 'Duke of Gordon.' In 1836 the Dukedom of Gordon became extinct and the mar­ quessate of Huntley passed to a younger line of the family, the Earl of Aboyne. In Virginia, 1730 John Gordon · of Spotsylvania County ,vitnessed the will of Harry Beverly of the Parish of St. George. John signed his name, while the three other witnesses made their marks. One John Gordon d. Spotsylvania 1749; another 1766. A Gilbert Gordon d. in Frederick Co. 1767. In Shenanodah Co. Alexander Gordon d. 1791. Thomas Gordon was men­ tioned 1743 in Orange (fo:rmed from Spotsylvania). In Augusta County (formed from Orange) John Gordon fur­ nished provisions to the militia 1758. In Rockbridge

240 James and John Gordon were on list of tithables 1778·. A James Gordon was a private in Invalid Corps (Rev. ser­ vice) 1788. Entitled to land for services. (Saffrell p. 117-) In Fincastle Co. John Gordon was a private in Capt. Jas. Thompson's company under Col. Wm. Christian in the expedition against the Cherokees Aug. 17J6. In Montgomery John G.Jrdon m. Mary Davis, dau. George Davis, 1787. GRAHAM-Scotch-English. Dweller at the ,grey land or enclosure, fr-om Old English graeg, gray plus ham, home. Miller in West Virginia and Its People says: "This name is always w:r_:itten interchangeably with Graeme, the Scottish spelling. The earliest traceable ancestor is William de Graham, who settled in Scotland early in the 12th century.... The best known family in Scotland bearing the name is that of the Dukes of Mon­ trose. One writer says: "The Montrose family, the most eminent of the modern representatives of this old Celtic stock, trace their pedigree back to the first half of the 5th century of our era, and to Graeme, the distinguished general, who administered the affairs of Scotland in the interest and during- the minority of Eugene II (grand­ son of Fergus II A. D. 411-429, of the Dalriadic line of kings of what we now call Scotland. Many of +he Gra­ hams of Ulster trace their descent from this illustrious stock, originally the very oldest of the old Irish element. The Graham tartan (plaid) suggestively enough give~ prominence in its make-up to the emerald gr.. .!en." John Grimes arrived in eastern Virginia 1650, probably Northumberland CovI'!ty. A Major Samuel Graham was born on the Atlantic Ocean in 1763 d. 1829: m Rachel, dau. Col. John Mont.romery of Revolutionary fan1e. We find the name spelled Grymes and Grimes in many in­ stances. William Grymes was a voter in Fairfax Co. for election of Burgesses 17 44. In Augusta a William· Gra­ ham furnished provisions to the county militia in 1758. In Rockbridge a John Graham (from Ulster) sold 696 241 acres of land ~o his son James Graham in 1768, for $16.67. In Franklin, _1790 Robert Graham (also spelJed Grimes) m. Rachel Dulaney, dau. Samuel Dulaney. In Floyd Robert Graham's will probated 1834 gives wife Rachel, and childr€n: Luke, John, Samuel, Nancy Thompson, Mariam Howerton, Sara Reed and Elizabeth Akers. In Montgomery James Graham m. Isabella Smith, dau. Saml. Smith 1783. The will of Jacob Gra­ ham probated 1812, Montgomery, gives children: Amos, Enoch, Aaron, Olive ~f ohnson, Matthew Hancock, Aditha, Jacob, Jonathan, Sileus. GATES-English name, Dweller at the gates, from Old English geat, a gate or opening. -;HARMAN, HARMON-Soldier or warrior, from Old High German heri or hari, army, p.Jus Teutonic man (n). The family is discussed in several books. One of these says they are of English descent, and there is an English family by. this name, but those of Montgomery and southwest Virginia are given by four historians as of German descent. Summers in his History of South­ west Virginia says: Heinrich Adam Harman, born in - Prussia, Germany about 1700, married Louisa Katrina­ in Germany Oct. 8, 1723. She died in the present Giles County, Mar. 18, 1749, and he died there in 1767. It is said he had six brothers, some of whom came with him to America; other followed later. One or more came to North Carolina. Valentine, one of the brothers, is mentioned in Augusta records in. 1749. In 1754 he pro- cured a survey under the Loyal Land Company in the present Giles Co. He was killed by Indians on Sinking Creek in Giles in 1757, in the presence of his nephew Danie~ Harmon. Daniel was taken prisoner but escaped. A Valentin Harmon, perhaps son of this Valentin, im­ proved a piece of land on Clinch River (now Tazewell) in 1771. V. Harmon was one of the party who carved their names on a tree in Warren County, Ky. 1775. (See Scaggs.)

242 Another brother of Heinrich Adam, Jacob Harman, and his son were killed by Indians also in· 1757. Sum­ mers thinks that George, Peter, John and perhaps an­ other who came direct from Germany to North Carolin~ were also his brothers. This Heinrich Adam, usually referred to as Adam, and his wife Katrina had eleve~ children, four of whom were: Adam Jr., Henry Sr., Daniel Sr. and Mathias Sr. Adam Jr. was born in Ger­ many about 1724, came with his father to New River in 1744 or 1745, married, lived and died in North Caro­ lina·. Henry Sr. (son of Adam Sr.) was born accordi_ng to tradition on the Isle of Man about 1726 as his par­ ents an4 family were en route to America. Daniel Sr. was born in Pennsylvania about 1729 ;· Mathias Sr~ was born near Strasburg. Va. about 1736 ( one writer . said 1732), his father having moved to the Valley about that time. Mathias_ (Capt. Mathias or Tias) was a hunter, and ranger of the wilderness, operating from Draper's Meadows into Tennessee and Kentucky. Two of his com­ panions in these journeys were Henry and James Skaggs. He died at 96.

,.Adam Harman Sr. came to New River and establish- ed his permanent residence at Eggleston Springs, then called . Gunpowder Spring because. of its odor. They were the founders of the first permanent English speak­ ing settlement west of the Alleghanies and in the whole Mississippi ·valley. All histories, says Summers, give Drap­ er's Meadows 1748 as the first · settlement, but in 1745 a county court road order in Orange, May 20, recites a road survey to "Adam Harman's on New River." He was road overseer there in 1746 and 1747, and was appointed Capt. of Foot, Capt. of Troop of Horse and was also con­ stable there. all prio_r to 1748, the date of the Drapers' Meadows settlement. He and his two sons were the res­ cuters of Mrs. Ingles· after her captivity by the Indians in 1755. HOLLIDAY, HALLIDAY-English; first name

243 given to one born on a holy day, from Old English Haley daeg. All of the- Holladays in northern Virginia, ac­ cording to Walter Holladay who wrote 1852, were de­ scended from Captain John Holladay who came from lower Virginia about 1700 to settle in Spotsylvania County on the plantation Bellefonte, where he d. 1742. His wife was Elizabeth--; sons: William, John, Daniel Joseph, Benjamin; daughters: Elizabeth m. Pattison Pul­ liam, Winifred m. Thos. Pulliam; Sarah m. James Roll­ ings Jr., and Susanna. A Thomas Holliday came to east­ ern Virginia 1658 from England, possibly the ancestor ot John above. In the Revolution, John (son of Capt. John) fell in Gates defeat 1780. Lt. J. Holladay (possi­ bly Joseph) was in Capt. Oliver Towle-s Co. 1776; Lt. Joseph Holliday received from Virginia 3444 acres of land for war services. William Holliday is mentioned in Shenandoah County records 1774; in Orange was Joseph Holladay 1770. In Montgomery lived Levi Holli­ day, formerly of Shenandoah, who married a Miss Cloud; their children were William, Levi Junior, Ransom, Jack, Louisa (m. Elisha Altizer 1846), Louanna, Polly (m. James Grimes, now called Graham, in 1821), and Betsy. In Montgomery a Capt. Holliday was surety for a mar­ riage in 1821. HATCHER-English. Dweller at a gate, gatekeeper, from Old English haecc, gate, plus suffix e.r. HOWARD-English via Teutonic ,from Old English Heah, high, plus w(e) ard (Old Saxon), meaning war­ den; meaning of name High warden, or Guardian. HOUCHINS, HOUCHIN, etc.-From French Huch­ on, Huchin, palatal 'forms of Hug (o), Variant of Hugh (Teutonic), plus the diminutive suffix -in, -on. The first Edward Houchins lived in St. Peters Parish, New Kent County, Va. in 1685. His wife's name, was Rebecca. His son Edward II lived in Goochland County and his will probated 1765 names wife Hannah, sons Charles, Francis and John. This John, the progenitor of the Mon-

244 roe County Houchins family, married Martha Orford about 1755, lived in Goochland Co. in 1763 and moved into Amherst County prior to 1768. John HouchinS; Thos. Whiting et al were appointed commissioners of admiralty by Patrick Henry (Howe's History of Va. p. 114). John Houchins served as a private in the Revolu­ tionary army in Capt. Cuthbert Harrison's troop, 1st Regt. Light Dragoons, Continental Troops, commanded by Col. Theodore Bland. He enlisted Nov. 25, 1776 and served until Nov. 1778. He was the, father of Edward III, Francis, William and Elizabeth Houchins and per­ haps others. Edward also lived in Amherst Co. and is shown in the 1785 census as paying tax on a family of five. This Edward with his brothers Charles and Wil­ liam also served in the Revolutionary army (See Ecken­ rode's Revolutionary Soldiers of Virginia p. 227). Ed­ ward Houchins III has often been confused with his nephew Edward, son of Francis and Joyce Houchins, who was a pensioner of the Revolution and who died in Kentucky. Edward Houchins III moved over into Albe­ marle County and to Monroe County, where he is shown paying tax on prop~rty in 1799. He was the father of James Houchins b. 1776, m. M.olly Harvey, and Bennett Houchins. The station Houchins, Va. in Montgomery received its name from !.Josua Houchins, descendant of Bennett. The Houchins family (spelled Houchin, Huchings, Hougens and other ways) emigrated from England about 1650. Some of the earliest Houchins were noted Quakers (See Henrico deeds of Nicholas and his son Strangeman Houchins). For further details of this family see Morton's History of Monroe County, and The Family Tree by J. F. Houchins. KING-From M·edieval English king ( e), monarch, originating as a nick-!lame. LINDAMOOD-From German linden, of linden -wood, plus muth, spirit of mind, he4rt, hence, spirit of the linden, or lime-tree.

245 In .17 49 .Ludwig Linde.nmuth, Georg· Lindenmuth, and Hans George Linemuth (name written by cle-rk, .hence misspelled) ·came from the- Palatinate or the duchy of Wurtemburg to Pennsylvania. In 1752 came Johan Michael Lindemuth. The 1790 census shows in Berks County, · Pa.; in Greenwich township, Andrew Linde­ muth; Windsor Township, Jacob Lindemuth; Albany township, Mich. Lindemood,· and Bern township, Jacob Lindemuth; and in Shenandoah County, Va. Andrew, ·two Christians, Christopher, George Henry, and John Lindamude- Shenandoah County records show the mar­ riages of Chistopher Lindamude and Elizabeth Miller 1788; George Lindamood and Christina Painter, 1798; ·Michael Lindemood and Mary Fern 1799. A Captain Philip Lindamood was one of the :first elders of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Shenandoah County, organized some years before 185.4. In Frederick Co. George Lynde­ mqoth's will was recorded in Will Book Number 4, cov­ ering a period from 177-0 to 1788. Mussers (Merce-r, Mosser, Messer) and Burkets (Burcket, Burkit, etc.) may be found in· the same territory-Pennsylvania, and Frederick and Shenandoah Counties, Va. Brigadier Gen­ eral Hugh Mercer of the Revolution was of the first men­ tioned lin~-- Says Cartmell in History of the Shenandoah Valley and Frederick County:.·"The family were of the Caleb, Josh~a and Job Mercer stock." LESTER-For Leicester, the meaning of lei is doubtful: c~ster .is Old English ceaster, a city, from Latin castra, camp. LUCAS-From a Greek form of Latin lucius, light. Lucas is common in 13th and 14th century English rec­ ords. We do not lrnow whether the Montgomery Lucases were descended from early settlers of that name in east­ ern Virginia, or from the Pennsylvania immigrants. It is possible that all were of the same stock. Among east­ ern Virginia settlers were Richard, arrived 1650 and probably settled Northumberland Co.; Thomas who re-

246 ceived land on Rappahannock River about 1650; in 1652 Thomas Lucas and John Catlett received 3·36 acres "run­ ning up the back si4e of their land by a former patent"; Edward Lucas received land on the, southwest side of Garden Creek, 1655, county unknown to us. A Penn­ sylvania immigrant was Daniel Lucas who came from the Palatinate 1740 in ship Lydia, landi~g at Philadel­ phia. The 1783 census lists of Virginia show in Greens­ ville County John Lucas and John Jr., the first having · four in family and sixteen slaves. Greensville Co. being in the southeast part of Virginia, these were probably descendants of the eastern Virginia stock. In Lunenburg Co., same vicinity, a John Lucas furnished provisions to militia 17-58. In Orange County 1763 a John Lucas de.eded land to Elizabeth Step. He is mentioned again in 1781 and onward till about' 1796. Moses Lucas men­ tioned there from 1763 to about 1780; in 1737 William Lucas recd. deed from William Bartlett; his name occurs often the-reafter until 1800. Zachary Lucas is referred to in Orange- Co. records 1755. In Montgomery, Captain John Lucas has been referred to in Chapter 8. He had daus. Theodocia, Susanna and probably Nancy. In 1782 John Lucas, son of William, m. Elizabeth Price, dau. Michael Price. In 1806, a Charles Lucas ,m. Esther Bar­ nett, John Barnett surety. MARTIN-Of Teutonic origin, coming through French and Anglo-Saxon. Nickname from the marten or weasel. The Martins of M'ontgomery are probably of German descent. MILLER-Corn-grinder, from earlie.r English milner. PHARIS, FARIS, FERRIS--Diminutive of Old Teu­ tonic Fridrick or Fridrich, peace-ruler; Old High Ger­ man,friche. Some give the s.w. Va. family as Irish. The Irish name Ferris is from Feoras, the Irish form of Pierce, which is the Anglo-French form of Peter. The Pharis family was ]ocated in 1754 in Augusta County

247 when the guardian of Edward Farris, orphan of William, is on record. In Augusta, 1767 John Farris and wife Nance H. deeded land to Robert Edgan. In 1794 William Farris and wife Jean Faries deeded land to Isaac Glass. Some of these lived in terrjtory later Rockbridge. Robert Faris (constable) and William Faris we.re on Rockbridge list of tithables 1778. A surveyors' record of Fincastle 1774 shows 115 acres surveyed on waters of the middle fork of the. Holston for Ed Pharez. At the Battle of King's Mountain 1780 was Thomas Faris (p. 212 Annals of Tazewell County). Edward Faris served in Henry Smith's Co. ( p. 206 same book). Saffrell gives on p. 278 Records of the Revolutionary War William Feris private in Co. 5 as of Apr. 1, 1778, 3rd Va. Regt. com­ manded -by Lt. Col. Wm. Heth. Gideon Farris of either Montgomery or Washington County se.rved in Capt. Jas. Thompson's Company against the Cherokees 1776. In Henry County John Farris served in S. Tarrant's Com­ pany of militia which marched to the assistance of Gen. G~een at Guilford Courthouse March 11, 1781.

Nancy seems to be a favorite name for Pharis women. Elisha Farris and Moses Skeggs were commis­ sioned lieutenants of militia at the formation of Russell County from Washington 1786. In April, 1794, citizens of Russell presented a petition to the Governor, setting forth among other things that an uninhabited space of Russe.JI County was a frontier so far as Indian inroads were concerned, and asking for protection. They said that on Aug. 26, 1791 a party of Indians headed by a Capt. Bench of the ';heroke-e tribe, attacked the house of Elisha Ferris, two ·-niles from Mockison Cap, murdered Mr. Ferris at his house and made prisone-rs Mrs. Ferris and her daughter, Mrs. Livingston, and a young child to­ gether with Nancy Ferris. All ~ut the latter we.re cruel­ ly murdered the first day of their captivity.· Other Pharises of the latter 18th century were found in Louisa

248 and Shenandoah Counties. We believe they followed the usual route to the southwest. SCAGGS, SKAGGS, SKEGGS, SKEGG-From Old English or Anglo-Saxon sceagga, hair, hence the meaning of name, rough-haired or shaggy. In 1746, Augusta rec­ ords, James Scaggs with Jacob Harmon and his sons, was ordered to work the road from Adam Harmon's on New River to the north branch of the Roanoke. Henry Scaggs is mentioned as " a man of importance" in· the New River section in 1763. Chapter 8 of this book shows Sergeant Aaron Scaggs of M~nt_gomery, also. John, John Jr., -Henry, Charles, Zachariah, Archibald, M-oses, John "Goardhead," as Revolutionary soldiers. James and Charles Scaggs were among the first settlers in Baptist Valley, Tazewell County. Moses Scaggs also lived in Tazewell.. Private John Scaggs from territory later Tazewell County, was wounded at the Battle of King's Mountain, but recovered. An old history of Kentucky gives an account of a list of thirteen names cut into the bark of a bee.ch tree three miles from Bowling Green wit~ the date June 13, 1775- The first name is .nine feet from the ground, tha lowest four. H. Scaggs, no ,doubt Henry, was one of the names. "These men were pe,r­ haps the first white visitors to what is now Warre.n County."· Virginia Land Office records show James Scaggs pate.nting 215 acres on the west side of New River adjoining land of William Christian Dec. 2, 1785, and on same date 256 acres on the north side- of New River ad­ joi:P1ng his patent land. Land of the public domain then cost less than 75c per acre. Early Montgomery marriages were Jeremiah Scaggs m. Hannah Lester, Zachariah Scaggs surety, 1788. Isaac Scaggs m. Nancy Goodwin, .John Wylie. suret~.,., 1787. Peter Scaggs m. Marthy Clo-­ than ( Cothon?), William Keister surety 1788. The lat­ ter two marriages were performed by Richard Whitt. SHELOR-From a manuscript record in the. Virginia

249 State Library, we learned that Shelor is a German name probably originally Schuler or Schiller. Lawrence Shelor emigrated from Germany about twenty-five years be­ fore the Revolution with his wife and one child. The wife died while crossing the Atlantic. He settled in Maryla}!d and later married an American lady. The.y had five children, says the manuscript, but in Montgom­ ery the will of a Lawre.nce Shelor was probated Nov. 1817, naming wife Mary, and childr~n: Jacob, Mary, Lawrence, Daniel, Sophia, Margaret and Catrin. From the date, this could be the will of the immigrant; or it could be that of a son. The manuscript gave. the names of. only Daniel and Mary of the children of the immi­ grant. Mary married Jonathan Graham ( Grimes in · Montgomery records) May 17, 1786. The immigrant Lawrence Shelor came. to Virginia · after the Revolution with all his children except the first wife's son, and the second daughter (Sophia?) who had~ married a man named Delaplane. Daniel Shelor, eld­ est son of the last wife, was a Captain in the Re.volution­ ary army, having enlisted in the County of Frederick, Md. Jan. 22, 1777 as a lieutenant. . In Maryland he. serv­ ed under Major Bailey. He also served in New Jersey i:p the forces commanded by Gen. Thomas Johnston and Col. James Johnston. After he moved into Virginia, Daniel built the first iron furnace in the southwestern part of the state. He married Miss Wickham of Mary­ land and had eight children: Elizabeth, George, William, Sarah, Daniel, Jacob, Mary (Polly) m. Capt. Thompson and moved to Tenn., and John m. Nancy Howell. Cap­ tain Daniel Shelor's qon, Jacob Shelor, married Ann Tug­ gle. (See chart.) Their children were Elizabeth, Daniel, Rand9lph, William, Mary m. a Bishop, Elmira m. Sam­ uel Lucas, Sarah (Sallie.) m. John E. Altizer, George, died in the Coufed~rate army. From Virginia Land Office records, Book 10 p. 408: Aug. 15, 1787, Jacob Shelor patented 100 acres on the west fork of Little 250 River; Book 15, p. 012 shows on Mar. 27, 1788, Daniel Shelor (son of Jacob) patented 640 acres on Little River and Oldfield Creek adjoining the land of Josiah Terry and Samuel Eason. SIMJ?KINS--This English name means the kindred or descendants.. of Sim. In Rockbridge County, Va., a Robert Simpkins married Betsy M·ccarty 1798. In Mont- gomery, the will of Robert Simpkins (father of Sarah Simp,kins Altizer) was probated 1834, naming children: Sarah; Rebecca Cran

251 THOMPSON-English - name meaning son of­ Thomas- TICE--From the Saxon personal name Tisa, appar­ ently a variant of Tesa, Taesa, pleasant. WAGGONER-From the Teutonic wag~n, a wagon, plus agential suffix er. WALLER-From Old English w(e)all, a well, plus e.re. A wallmaker. WALTERS-From Old Teutonic Walther, Walthar, Waldhar, etc. meaning mighty army. The following sketch came from a member of the Walters family: The first Walters, George I, came from England.bringing his wife, Christiana Crewey, from Holland. They had 12 children, ten of whom lived to adult-hood: Christian, James P., Salinda, Kister, Delilah and Diana (twins), Henry, Clay, John and Madison. George Walters had 2000 acres of land in Montgomery and 1500 in Floyd, granted him by King George in recognition of his serv­ ices in the British army. At the Revolutiony War, George W alte.rs returned to England and fought against the colonies. He returned to America at the close of the war, but his wife. never allowed him to enter her home again ; but at his death he was buried on her farm. George Walters, who lives on Ellett's Cre.ek owns part of the original grant, and possesses the document grant­ ing land to George. Walters I. A large portioL of the town of Christiansburg was part of the grant (See Chapter 11). About where the Waite-rs building stands today, Christiana Walters had a tavern which was a popular gathering-place for travel­ ers and people of the community. During the Civil War, John Walters (m. Nancy Bishop, dau. Stephe.n Bishop, Jacob Bishop surety. 1823) lived at Viear's Switch on a farm of 1000 acres. They had four sons killed in this war. Thomas Walter~ was also a farmer, near the old

252 White Sulpher Springs in the latter years of the 19th century. His three sons bought the site of Christiana's tavern and erected the Walters building, for which the,y burned the brick themselves. They were merchants. One of them, John \Villiam Walters also owned farms in Montgomery and nearby counties. Two of his sons wer·e soldiers in the World War. Montgomery records show: Inventory of estate ot James Walters deceased 1786; George W~Jters m. Mary Kirby 1792; George Walters m. Ann Hankla (widow) 1791; William Waite.rs m. Polly Martin, Philip Martin surety 1797. WELLS--Dweller at the springs, from Old Eng­ lish w (i) ell, wylla, a spring or fountain. WHITE, WHITT-Of fair complexion, from Old English whit, white. In Montgomery and Tazewell rec­ ords, the two spellings are used interchangeably. An Isham Whitt, county unknown, was a private in Co. No. 11, Jas. Gray Captain, Col. Morgan's riflemen, 1778- In the same company was Joseph Whitaker, another Tazewell name which appears in the Altizer · chart. Richard Whitt, a preacher, lived in Montgomery and married several couples mentioned in this record. His will was probated· 1813; mentions wife and children: Archibald, Eliza, Cassiday, Ruthy and Susannah. Ar- • chibald m. Hannah Low, 1786. Another Archibald m. Polly Lorton, dau. Sally Lorton, 1813. Hezekiah give.n as a son of Archibald m. Sally Whitt 1787. In 1792 an Abijah Whitt m. Elizabeth Elswick, dau. John Elswick, Richard Whitt surety. In 1820 an Abijah Whitt m. Nancy Compton, Jos~ph Compton surety. Abijah John Whitt m. Hannah Sarles, Wm. Sarles surety 1815. One of these was probably son of the first Abijah. Susannah Whitt, dau. of Archibald, m. Jonas Whitt 1816. James Whitt m. Susannah Allee, dau. Carey Alley 1817. In 1825 a William Whitt m. Mary Meachem. These names from Montgome.ry. 253 CHAPTER 28 World War Records ARTHUR B. ALTIZER-No. 548,727. Roxie, mo­ ther, 814 13th Ave., Huntington, W. Va. Enlisted there Dec. 13, 1917. Co. D, 340 Inf. and Hdq. Co. 38th Inf. Overseas Mar. 29, 1918 to Apr. 2, 1919. Discharged Camp Meade, Md. Apr. 18, 1919. b. Nov. 2"5, 1890 at Logan, W. Va. BENJAMIN ALTIZER-Joplin, Mo. We were un­ able to se~ure details of othe,r than Virginia soldiers. CHARLES K. ALTIZER-No number given. Enlist­ ed July 14, 1917 at Deerfield, Va. Discharged July 31, 1919. Co. K, 1st Infantry Va. National Guard. Not ove-r­ seas. B. Tazewell, Va. Twenty years of age at enlist­ ment.- ·CHARLIE ALTIZER-Enlisted May 25, 1918, Mont­ gomery Co. Va. Discharged from draft June. 15, 1918. CHARLES P. ALTIZER-Kingsfield (?) Oklahoma. -(Perhaps this is Charles Edward, son of Sparrell, King­ fisher, Oklahoma, who died in transit to France just be­ fore the- Armistice.) CLARENCE S.. A.LTIZER-No. 2,243,896. Father D. M. Altizer, Camb1·ia, Va. Enlisted Jan. 15, 1918 at O,ak Ridge, N. C., Co. A. 317th Infantry and Hdg. Co. 317th Inf. Overseas May 26, 1918 to June 1, 1919. Dis­ charged Camp Lee, Va. June 12, 1919. B. Jan. 20, 1892 at Cambria. CLINTON H. _ALTIZER-No. 3,180,14-0. Father, . Andrew J. Altizer, Snowville, Va. Enlisted June. 24, 1918 at Christiansburg, Va. 155th Depot Brigade. Discharged Mar. 17, 1919 at Camp Dix, N. J. B. Jan. 30, 1895, Mont­ gomery County, Va. DORSE D. ALTIZER-No. 3,180,203. Residence Riner, Va. Inducted at Christiansburg, Va. June 28, 1918. Camp Lee, Va. B. Sept. 15, 1895 Montgomery County. J. D. Altizer, father, Riner, Va. 155 Depot

254 Brigade Co. B. 301 Machine Gun Bn. ·Co. A. 133 M. G. Bn. Overseas Aug. 22, 1918 to June 4, 1919. Discharged Camp Lee, Va. June 12, 1919. EARL J. ALTIZER-No. 2,265,991 Richland Co. Wisconsin. EVERETT R. ALTIZER-B. Apr. 17, 1894 at Cam­ bria, Va. Com. 1st Lt. Med. Corps July 15, 191~. Dis­ charged same Jan. 4, 1919. No overseas service. Prev­ iously Feb. 12, 1918 at Richmond Va. in Med. Reserve Corp; discharged July 14, 1918. Father, R. E. Altizer. FRANK B. ALTIZER-No. 2,969,101. Father Emery 0., Barbersville, Va. (W. Va.?) Enlisted May 25, 1918 Milton, W. Va. 155th Depot Brigade,. Not over­ ~eas. Discharged Jan. 16, 1919, Camp Lee, Va. 27 years at enlistment. B. Logan County, W. Va. HARRY H. ALTIZER-No. 1,816,618. Luther J. Father, Sale~, Va. Enlisted Sept. 21, 1917 at Salem. Supply Co. 317 Infantry. Overseas May 26, 191~ to June 1, 1919, Discha~ged June- 11, 1919 Camp Lee, Va. B. Feb. 4, 1896 at Riner. HILEY W. ALTIZER-No. 3,624,941. Wife Annie, Riner, Va. Enlisted June 24, 1918 at Christiansburg, Va. 155th Depot Brigade. Not ove,rseas. Discharged Dec. 10, 1918 at Camp Lee, Va. B. Oct. 18, 1894 at Mont­ gomery Co. JOSEPH ROSCOE ALTIZER-No. 3,010,983. Mrs. Alice E., Salem, Va. Enlisted July 29, 1918 at Roanoke, Va. Co. B. 210 Engrs. Not overse-as. Discharged Camp· Lee, Va. Jan. 23, 1919. B. June 10, 1893 at East Rad­ ford, Va. LEONARD ALTIZER-George, father, Henlawson, W. Va. No. 561,127. Enlisted Apr. 13, 1917 at Columbus Barrack, Ohio; Co. G. 4th Inf. Co. G. 59 Inf. Discharged Camp Dix, N. J. Aug. 7, 1919. Overseas May 5, 1918 to Aug. 1, 1919. B. Sept. 21, 1898 at Henlawson, w. Va. LOUIS ALTIZER-No. 3,174,856. Enlisted May 28 1918 at Welch, W. Va. Co. B. 162nd Infantry and Co. F.

255 18th Infantry. Overseas July 3, 1918 to Sept. 4, 1919. Discharged Camp Meade, Md. Sept 27, 1919. B. Apr. 11, 1896 at Harman, Va. Father, John H., Harman, Va. LORNE ALTIZER-No. 858,102. Enlisted at Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 30, 1916. Co. A. 21st Infantry. Not overseas. Discharged Oct. 29, 1919 at Camp Pike, Ia. B. May 9, 1897 Marcus, Iowa. Father John R,. Marcus, Iowa. MARVIN G. ALTIZER-No. 1,817,926. Enlisted Oct 3, 1917 at Christiansburg, Va. Served in Co. E. 317th Infantry. Overseas May 26, 1918 to June 1, 1919. Discharged Camp Lee, Va. June 11, 1919., 23 yrs. 11 mos. at enlistment. B. at Riner, Va. Nov. 23, 1893. Mother, ~'.lrs. Kate Altizer. MILBURN ALTIZER-No. 2,969,903. Enlisted 1\1:ay 24, 1918 at Logan, W. Va. Co. L, 163d U. S. Infan­ try. Overseas Sept. 16, 1:918 to Mar. 18, 1919. Dis­ charged at Camp Lee, Va Mar. 27, 1919. Age. 26 yrs. 10 mos. at enlistment, at Kistler, W. Va. B. July 23, 1891. Mother, Mrs. Sarah E. ROBERT C. ALTIZER-No. 1,558,779. Floyd L., father, Bluefield, W. Va. Enlisted June, 27, 1915. Co. D. 7th Infantry. Not overseas. ·Discharged Feb. 11, 1919 at Camp Lee, Va. B. Mar. 10, 1894 at Springville, Va. RO'BERT L. ALTIZER-No. 1,003,138. Geo. iH. Altizer, father, Hughey, W. Va. Enlisted Mar. 17, 1914 Columbus Barracks, 0. Mach. Gun Troop 6th Cav. Over­ seas Mar. 6, 1918 to June 29, 1919. Discharged July 12, 1919 at Camp Oglethorpe, Ga. B. Sept. 10, 1892 at Logan Co. W. Va. WADE ALTIZER-No. 457,848. Chas. T. Altizer, father, Kistler, W. Va. Enlisted May 22, 1918 at Logan, w. Va. Recruit Detach. 27th Engrs. Overseas Sept. 1, 1918 to Mar. 20, 1919. Discharged Camp Meade Md. Apr. 9, 1919. B. Nov. 27, 1894 at Logan, W. Va.

256 WILLIAM H. ALTIZER-No. 3,180,835. Samantha Altizer, mother, Harman, Va. Enlisted Camp Lee June 26, 1918. Co. F. 2d Infantry; Co. C. 167th Inf. Over­ seas Aug. 13, 1918 to Nov. 25, 1918. Discharged Feb. 8, 1919 at Camp Lee. Age 22 yrs. 10 mos. at enlistment. B. Harman, Va. Another Altizer descendant who served was Karl Appelgate, of Joplin. Mo., stationed at Vancouver during the war. Seven other Altizers served wh9se names we could not secure. These were from· the states of Okla­ homa, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and two from the State of Washington. The Illinois soldier was no doubt Smith, so~ of William of the Taze.well branch. Smith was killed in France.

257 CHAPTER 29 Family Traita and Features A pseudo-science flourished about the time of the, World War called Character-Reading from the Features. There is something to say for their deductions. Most of us have re.marked of persons we did not even· know: "He has a mean face" or "She looks like a vixen to me." While we may not agree- with these character readers in all points, it is interesting to see what they have to say about the typical Altizer face. It belongs to w ~at is called the convex type, like a blunted V lying on its side, the nose, forming the apex. A person with such a face, says one author, is keen and quick in thought; does not deliberate long, and is not much given to slow, careful meditation and reflection. He has excellent powers of observation, sees all that goes on around him, gathers information rapidly. While others are slowly and deliberately reasoning out the principles, his clear and penetrating observation goes at once to a conclusion. He is usually a ready talker-words come freely to him. He is frank and outspoken. When he is impatient or irritated, he speaks sharply and even harsh­ ly, but his irritation does not usually last long. A single outburst and it is over. One of the keynotes of this man's character is energy. Be-cause he is practical, he wants to get things done. He wants quick results which he can see. He is therefore impatient, spe.nds his energy too rapidly and often tires himself out and chafes at the resulting delay. This is what makes him aggressive and stimulating in his personality. His energy, frankness and impatience often irritate slowergaited people who have to live or work with him. The man's feelings are easily and quickly aroused. His enthusiasm, his laughter, his fear, his grief, his love and his hate all flare up at a mo­ ment's notice. Some husband or wife will now no doubt hand this book to his or her spouse and say "That's you."

258 The nose is the most promient Altizer· feature. And pro1r1inent is just the word. It crops up everywhere amo:µg Emera's descenil:ants. No p.arent can be sure, his children will not inherit it. A child may seem to have escaped, but as middle age creeps on, the nose, which scientists say continues to grow throughout life, becomes larger and larger, the end seem to dip, the bridge rises -until there you are! another Altizer nose. It cannot be mistaken for anv.. other. Wherever Altize.rs are known the nose is known. One young woman went to work in the office of former Governor Hatfield of West Vi~ginia, having been employed· ·by the office manager. Dr. Hatfield was away when she arrived. "Who is. that girl?'' he asked upon his return. "Miss Altizer," he was told. "I might have know~ it," he. grunted. "Old Aaron's nose!" "The high bridge showing particular promi13:ence just below the root" says another writer, "indicates the, superlative degree of intensity, executive ability and energy, resulting in an excess of spirit; a love of danger and excitement; combative tendency, that of · the born fighter ready to rush to combat at a moment's notice." Deepset eyes, a high forehead sloping a little back­ ~vard, strong teeth, and dimpled chin, "always a mark of enthusiasm, an amorous ardent nature, nearly always found in people of extreme self-will and of some degree of selfishness," are other typical features of the family. ~'He has the Altize.r dimple" is often remarked of the children. Words do come freely to the majority of them. They love to talk and to write. Daniel Altizer would sit by the hour scribbling ~ditorials. Gillie Correll Altizer, the wife of Jack, and herself a descendant of Emera, wrote a movie scenario which was produced. A granddaugh­ ter of William Altizer of Riner once confided to us that she wished to write "a mountain novel." Clare.nee S. 4Altizer is a contributor to sports magazines and at one

259 time conducted a "Where to Go" column for fishermen in such a periodical. The authors of this volume, delight in efforts of a more or less literary nature.. Musical and artistic abilities also occur often in the family. Scientists state that these characteristics, along with longevity and others, are definitely subject to hered­ ity. A number of musicians were mentioned iri Chapters 24 and 26. Many of Jesse w. 's grandchildren are musi­ cal. The sons of William Ratcliffe Altizer were singe.rs, having attended the old-fashioned singing-schools where they learned to read the old shaped notes. Most of the children of Margaret Altizer Walters are talented musi­ cians. The violin-player William Altizer of Missouri has been referred to. Among those who paint and draw are Ernest, ·Columbus, Virginia, Jean, and a graddaughter of Leander Altizer. Many of the descendants of Jonas are gifted along this line. We must draw our examples from the households we. know, but there are probably many others with equal or greate.r talents in the arts. Other characteristics are given elsewhere : the, fine­ textured, reddish-sandy hair, the love. of green found in many families, the fondness for bee-culture, the care­ fulness with money. This last is more a local than a merely family quality. It is found in most who have lived in similar localities and conditions. Wayland says in his "German Element in the Shenandoah Valley" : "Although this people (German) have a talent for ac­ quisition, they have ~..lso a keen sense of justice and are not often found willing to win gold or position at the sacrifice of principle." In physique, the Altizers are not large. The aver­ age height o:f the soldiers given in Civil War records is a fraction over five feet, eight inches. A medium degree of corpulence during middle age is usual, but in youth and age, they are not given to fat. The Altizer hands are those of the artist and artizan-thin-skinned, blue-vein-

260 ed, short, rather wide, with strong thumbs which stand out at a broad angle when the hand is extended. We like family jokes-little stories repeated until they become a catchword and tradition. This quality has no doubt bee,n r·esponsible for the preservation of much family lore. In a book for our own family, we may say what would otherwise be unbecoming: the Altizer face is no peasant's face-stolid and unexpressive. The nose is not beautiful, but it is a fine and patrician nose. The face as a whole shows• humor, intelligence,, character. It is a face which may well bear out the story of Emera's good birth. As we conclude., we would ·leave with you these sentences from Wayland. "The Germans of the Valley of Virginia are de­ scended almost entirely from the immigrants of the early 18th century: people who left the Fatherland . . . largely because of religious persecution, politi­ cal oppression, or military outrages. Such forces al­ ways move the best classes--pe.ople who . . . are seeking most of all liberty of conscience, health of the state and safety for the morals of home and family. The German pioneers ... like their neigh­ bors the Scotch-Irish, were such a people. They came when facilities for travel and transportation were at a minimum, and when the perils of the un­ dertaking were at a maximum. "Let us hope that their descendants will never lose the love of liberty and the love of virtue that burned in the bosoms of the fathers and that drove them far forth in the face of danger."

261 EPILOGUE Great Grand-dad Great grand-dad when the land was young Barred his door with a wagon tongue. The times were rough and the. wilderness mocked. And he said his prayers with his shotgun cocked; He was a citizen tough and grim, Danger was like "duck soup," to him.

His great grandson now falls asleep And fears no harm from the darkness deep, For great granddaddy fought and won And tamed the land for his great grandson. Great granddad was a busy man, He cooked his grub in a frying pan, He picked his teeth with a hunting knife, And wore the same suit all his life. He ate. cornbread and bacon fat, But great grandson would starve on that. Great-granddad was gaunt with toil, Grimed and se!l.med with the sun and soil, But great grandson is fat and clean And rides to work in a limousine-.

Twenty-five children came to bless Great granddad's home in the wilderness. Laugh at the. statement if you can, But great granddad was a busy man. Twenty-five children, and they grew Stout and tall on the bacon, too ; Slept on the floor with the dogs and cats, And shopped the woods for the coonskin ha Freud was a mystery, so was jazz, Or giving their parents a scornful razz. If they got fresh with gre.at granddad He tanned their hideR with a hickory gad.

262 He raised them rough, but he r~ised them well, And if they took hold of the ways of hell, He filled them full of the fear of God And flailed their pants with an old ramrod. They grew strong of heart, and strong of hand, The, firm foundation of our land.

Twenty-five boys-but his great grandson To save his life can't manage one! -Kinchen Council.

263