Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-07-22
The Great Valley of Virginia.
OLD AUGUSTA.
THE POAGUE FAMILY.

Thousand OF the present generation are Ia
miliar with the name of Poague-as house
hold word-"Uncle Jackey' Poague, as he was
familiarly called, having for nearly halt a CEN
tury been County Surveyor "a considerable por-
ton of which extended back to, and perhaps on
the other side Of the Revolution. He succeed
ed bis father, who vas also John Poague-and
who was Surveyor so far back, as quaint old
Lord Coke would say, that the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary. We have before,
us part of one Of the old land books of the
first John Poague written in plain, bold
hand, and with ink as unfaded as though writ
ten month ago. 1t has wide margin with
the name of the patentee, when admitted to
record-the number of acres, and date of sur
vey, and then the courses, &c. The first entry
is Geo. Hutchinson Feb Goth, l83S-number
of acres not given only omission discovered
and the land is desc ibed as beginning at John
Browns two corners and lying on Back Greek.
One survey is dated July 23rd, 1740-one Oct.
9th, 1742-and all the rest from l147 to 1882
except two in 1865 and 1779. Uncle jacky
Poague built the house in which his only son
in Augusta. Jas. Poague, now lives, on Failing
Spring Branch. six miles east of Stanton, IS
years ago. His father, the first surveyor, must
have settled at the same place in 1730, or
shortly after, as also his grandfather Robert
Before giving the history Of this family, |
will make few brief extracts from this old
book Aug End, 1747. James Crawford
surveyed 4Ol acres on south side of Cathey's
River, (Middle) so called perhaps for the VIM.
Cathey, whose name first appears in the trans
fers for Orange county. Robert Patterson,
Geo. Anderson, Mcdowell and Lewis creek
called for in the courses, and Double Elm,
a noted corner in those days, was the starting
point Andrew Cowan about the same date,
q 0S ocE
"Borden's path" Does any one know aohere
that was? Saml Bradford in August, 1747,
surveyed tract that called for John Mitchell
and Sam'l Doage and Jno Buchanan, and in
the meet survey Doe ge is spelled Doag. VIM.
Mutt in August, 1747, surveyed $50 acres, on
"North side of Christeys Creek. at Moses
Thompson S. and one course N. 70 W. 13O poles
to red oak, nigh John Breckenridge where
as -- by the Indians" Words are left
out but we may infer he was killed in an In
dian raid. Nath' Steele in l747, surveyed
tract of 2S5 acres, that called for John Tate.
Geo. Breckenridge, Jno Lockart Ramsey and
David Steele and JAS. Fulton. Jas. Lockart
in surveying tract 10 the same year, lit cor
nered on tract of land surveyed for the con-
gregation." What congregation? Thomas
Shields survey of 202 acres in l749. called tor
a corner of Wm Robinson s and Col Patton's
mill place" Here is survey that will be read
with some interest when Staunton gets one hun
dred thousand people, as some now living IN
her corporate limits expect to see. The JUS
tices Of Augusta county, May, 1749, 25 acres
beginning at stake On the creek side at the
mouth of quit fronting the Courthouse, and
runeth tn. N. 5 w. Cncluding said Court house)
"a poles to forked w. oak On grayelly hill,
tn. N. IS E. 63 poles to stake on the side
of draft th S. 4. Ga poles 10 stake on
the SO. side of hill; th. 5. IS w. 63 p. to ye
Beg" In different surveys the expression old
plantation, old line is used, as though the
country had been long settled.
The Post master at Staunton; received let
ter dated Ashley, Pike county, Mo-, July 18th,
1871. from Rev. j. B. Poage. Presbyterian
minister, enouiring about bis relations of bis
name He says ''the TWO families | wish to
get information of, used to be Familiarity called
"Mai. Billy and Jackey Poague." The Brown
brothers, (Sam'l, Hy. Jas, VIM, &C., are
grandsons of Martha Poague, which is set down
as the daughter of James Poague, of Cumber-
land Gan. or of Robt. Poague, his father, of
Botetourt county, Va.
Robert Poague Is my starting point. He
does not say where be was from, or when he
came to the Valley, but from what we know of
his son John-g grandfather OF James Poague,
above referred and the first County Surveyor
of that name he (Robert( must have been one
of the earliest settlers. His son, John, made
the first survey we have any record of in 1888,
SO that he must have been here as early as any
others.
Robert Poague, his great-grand- son James
thinks, settled where he lives. His sons;
1st. John, who settled here.
2nd James. who removed to Tennessee, near
Cumberland Gap.
3rd. Robert. in Roanoke county, Va.
4th. William removed to Kentucky. in Is,
and killed by the Indians in IS.
5th. Thomas, of Augusta, ancestor of Maj.
VIM. Poague.
9th. Martha, grand mother OF the Browns.
7th. Mary. married Wood, near Wheeling.
9th Elizabeth married to Crawford.