Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-09-25
OLD TINES IN AUGUSTA.

TALKING WITH AN HUNDRED YEAR
OLD-SoME RECoLLECTIoNs OF THE
s:FIRsT'' PEOPLE-THE EARLY REPU-
TATIoN OF STAUNToN AND WAYNEs-
BoRo-rHE VIEWS OF, A FOURTEENTH
AMENDMENT.
&c. &c. &c.
Sitting in the porch of the charming
residence of Dr.. David W. Hanger near
Fishersville few days since, we struck a
centenarian. The historic old mansion IS
itself suggestive of such ameetlng, having
been erected in 1887, nearly a century ago,
by Zachary Johnson, member OF the
Virginia House of Burgesses, with ROOT
fixed on with pins, and stone chimney
over ten feet thick and when neWspa-
per man, with such surroundings heafs Oh
a man a century old, he wants to talk with
him. He is animated with desire to lind
cut all he knows, and good deal he don't
know. if he has a good Imagination, and
so the DR.. courteously sent for the centen-
arian, who proved to be white-he aded,
dignihed colored man, still able to get
about with the aid Of q stick, with a talr
memory and no impairment to an inter
view save considerable deafness. we pro-
ceeded to note down 'EWhat he knew about
it'' for the instruction Of the readers OF
this popular journal, and,for the edlilcatlon
Of a group of children who surrounded us
with wide-open eyes, doubtful whether
ssUncle Sidney" was making his last Will
and testament, or whether, he having lived
long enough, we were taking down his last
words previous to knocking him in the
head. We give his story pretty much as
he told it.
THE OLD MANS STORY.
Ny name is Sidney Crawford, and ! be-
longed to David Hall. on the Eastern Shore.
After the battle of Yorktown, where Gen.
eral Washington fought Lord Wallace,
we was refugeed to this part OF the coun-
ty, so I don't know ANYTHING about the
war over there.
STANTON.
Do you know anything about Staunton
Bless you, there wasn't any Staun-
ton then. There was a tavern with sign
that had painting of General Washing
ton on it. 1t was kept by Nh. Helskell.-
Old Mrs. Hughes kept q house OF enter
tainment. and Katie Keith kept shop OPP
posite. It was all woods, and there WASH
three acres Of cleared land around IT.
There want no Jail, and when man was
caught doing wrong, he was put III the
cellar of an old house that stood where MI
William KayseT lives now. i went JheIe
first when was about thirteen years Old.
a man came there from England OF some
OF them other out-countries to build bflck
house. His name was Adam Stanton, and
he was squatty man, not higher than my
my staff. There wern't any brick houses
then. The first one that was built was
Mr.. William Anderson's on Middle river,
Its there now, but it is covered in with
wood. After awhile there was black
smith shop started in Stanton by man
named Overton, right in the woods and
chinquepin bushes, where General Echols
lives now.
DANIEL BOON.
was living down at old George Craw-
ford's then. 7 remember seeing Daniel
Boon there. He came on a visit and stald
two months. He was a chunky sort of
man, with blue shirt on, and heard he
followed hunting fora living. He came
to see old Miss Nancy Crawford, his cou-
sin. After he left there, he went up to
Henry Millers, up at the "forge." This
was the first time he ever was in this part
of the country. The pedlars used to sell
us all our irop-ware. We didn't have.an
crockdty- ware them
SOLDERING.
I remember about the soldiers, but [
don't remember where they went to fight.
Captain Gibson had company, and the
hill by Staunton was white with the tents.
[ believe it was told that they were going
to LeWisburg to drive the Indians out
Captain Link and Captain Steele had com
panies, too I used to know all OF chem
we'll Captain Link used to live down there
by the old Stone Church. There was
fort at the old Stone Church. They had
breastworks around the fort, but [ don't
think they used them; the enemy didn't
come.
LAWYERS DOCTORS AND PREACHERS.
The first lawyer l recollect at Staunton
was Lawyer Blackburn, and then there
was another one named Phillips. lie came
from Pennsylvania. There were only two
doctors about the village when Staunton
got to oe known. They were DIR. Greenlee
and Dr. Sinclair.
Wasn't Dr.. Boys there?
Oh, no Dr.. Boys didn t come for many
years after that There were no preachers
there, though preachers used to come and
preach about in the houses, The first
preacher that [ recollect was Parson Will
son.
SOCIAL LIFE.
People didn't used to dress in those days
like they do now. A bed-goWn and one
pettcoat was the most woman had on,
and you didn't see none of the foolishness
you see about here now. Calico cost 81 or
Is cd yard. Whiskey was Is cents a
quart, and a good horse was worth $500. -
They made Whislzey in several places i'll
the county, but it was mighty high. Staun-
ton got to be terrible place for cock-fght-
ing and drinking.
WAYNEsBORO.
When [ first knew Waynesboro, it was
nothing but Stockdale's marsh on one side
of the river and McDaid's> on the other
1t got to be great horse-racing place, and
McGuthrie's bottom used to be lively any
day in the week 1t was a mighty bad
place to go to. They would get you drunk
before you knew it. !,
Having given this broadside to the in